1895_9-27-Sept 2001-nichols copy.jpg

Ericson A. Nichols Invitation to Alice Austen

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:51:01 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:37:23 PM

Added description

Description

Ericson A. Nichols Invitation to Alice Austen (1895)

Overview

This collection preserves a single Victorian‑era invitation sent by Ericson A. Nichols to Elizabeth Alice Austen on September 27, 1895. It consists of a scanned image of the handwritten letter, a scanned image of the envelope, and accompanying OCR‑derived text. The items are housed in the Alice Austen House Museum’s archival holdings and were digitized by the PINAX project.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering photographer and resident of Staten Island, New York. Ericson A. Nichols, a contemporary and friend of Austen, invited her to a “moonlight sail” that weekend. The invitation reflects the social customs of upper‑middle‑class Staten Island society in the late 19th century, where informal gatherings such as evening sailings were common. The letter was addressed to “Miss Alice Austin” (a common misspelling of Austen’s name) and the envelope was addressed to “Miss Alice Austin, Rosebank P.O., Staten Island.”

Contents

  • Letter (1895‑09‑27) – A handwritten invitation in English, expressing Nichols’ pleasure at joining Austen on a moonlight sail. The letter notes that Morton regrets he cannot attend due to an out‑of‑town engagement.
  • Envelope – Addressed to Miss Alice Austin, Rosebank P.O., Staten Island, with Nichols’ return address implied.
  • Digital files – JPEG scans of the letter (≈1.3 MB) and envelope (≈0.8 MB), each accompanied by OCR‑generated text for searchable access.
  • Metadata – Includes creation date, creator, institution, and subject tags such as “Correspondence,” “Invitations,” “Social life,” and “Victorian era.”

Scope

The collection covers a single event—the invitation to a moonlight sail on September 27, 1895. It is limited to the original invitation letter and its envelope, with no additional correspondence or related documents. The materials provide a snapshot of personal social interactions among Staten Island residents during the late Victorian period and illustrate the informal leisure practices of the era.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@ericson_nichols:person {full_name: "Ericson A. Nichols"}

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer"}

@morton:person {full_name: "Morton"}

@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "museum", location: @staten_island}

@rosebank_po:place {location: @staten_island, country: @united_states}

@moonlight_sail:event {description: "Evening sailing outing invited by Ericson A. Nichols for Alice Austen", date: @date_1895_09_27}

@invitation_letter:document {title: "Ericson A. Nichols Invitation to Alice Austen", date: @date_1895_09_27, sender: @ericson_nichols, recipient: @alice_austen, type: "Invitation"}

@file_pinax:file {title: "Ericson A. Nichols Invitation to Alice Austen", creator: @ericson_nichols, created: @date_1895_09_27, place: @staten_island, institution: @alice_austen_house}

@file_1895_9_27_sept_2001_nichols_copy_jpg:file {description: "Scanned image of invitation letter with OCR text"}

@file_1895_9_27_sept_2002_copy_jpg:file {description: "Scanned image of envelope address with OCR text"}

@ericson_nichols -> sent -> @invitation_letter

@invitation_letter -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@invitation_letter -> mentions -> @moonlight_sail:event

@invitation_letter -> created on -> @date_1895_09_27

@invitation_letter -> stored in -> @alice_austen_house

@invitation_letter -> has file -> @file_1895_9_27_sept_2001_nichols_copy_jpg

@invitation_letter -> has file -> @file_1895_9_27_sept_2002_copy_jpg

@file_pinax -> documents -> @invitation_letter

@file_pinax -> creator -> @ericson_nichols

@file_pinax -> place -> @staten_island

@file_pinax -> institution -> @alice_austen_house

@rosebank_po -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@invitation_letter -> includes -> @morton {role: "Regretted attendee"}

Metadata

Files (2)

1895_9-27-Sept 2001-nichols copy.jpgJPEG
1.25 MB
OCR Text

Sept 27/95 My dear Miss Austin, It will give me great pleasure to join you on your moonlight sail Saturday. Morton regrets he cannot go as he has an engagement out of town. Yours sincerely, Ericson A. Nichols

1895_9-27-Sept 2002 copy.jpgJPEG
765.94 KB
OCR Text

Miss Alice Austin. Rosebank P.O. Staten Island.

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:51:01 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:02:09 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:55:04 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:37:23 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Ericson_Nichols_Invitation"

Parent

01KC29F4QSG3SZ0SBGTMH85KKH

No children (leaf entity)