1896_8-30-1896 Aug 2006-trude copy.jpg

Trude Eccleston Correspondence with Alice Austen, 1896

PI

Version: 5 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:52:00 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:37:56 PM

Added description

Description

Trude Eccleston Correspondence with Alice Austen, 1896

Overview

This small collection from the Alice Austen House Museum contains digitized images of a single personal letter and its accompanying envelope, both dated 30 August 1896. The letter was written by Trude Eccleston to photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen and was mailed from the Mountain Rest House at Mohonk Lake, Ulster County, New York. The collection is part of the broader Austen Family Papers and provides a snapshot of Victorian‑era social networks in the upper‑middle‑class circles of Staten Island and the Hudson Valley.

Background

Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer whose work and personal papers are preserved at the Alice Austen House Museum. Trude Eccleston was a contemporary and friend of Austen, likely connected through shared social and cultural circles in New York. The Mountain Rest House, a resort on Mohonk Lake, was a popular gathering place for artists, writers, and affluent families during the late nineteenth century.

Contents

  • Letter (JPG scan) – A handwritten note dated 30 August 1896, addressed to “Miss Alice Austen.” The text references the Mountain Rest House, J. Irving Goddard, Alice Weston, Mrs. A. Shortt, Abington, and “Uncle Celestia.”
  • Envelope (JPG scan) – The mailing cover bears the address of the Mountain Rest House and a return address to Miss Alice Weston, care of Mrs. A. Shortt, Alvington, Ontario, Canada.
  • Transcriptions – Typed versions of the letter and envelope are available for research purposes.

Scope

The collection covers a single correspondence event in 1896, illustrating personal communication, travel, and social ties between New York and Canada. It is limited to one letter and one envelope, but it offers insight into the everyday life of Victorian‑era women, the operation of regional resorts, and the broader network of friends and acquaintances surrounding Alice Austen.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@trude_eccleston:person {full_name: "Trude Eccleston"}

@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", location: @staten_island}

@alice_austen_house_museum:organization {location: @staten_island}

@staten_island:place {state: @new_york_state, country: @united_states}

@new_york_state:place {country: @united_states}

@ulster_county:place {state: @new_york_state, country: @united_states}

@mohonk_lake:place {county: @ulster_county, country: @united_states}

@mountain_rest_house:place {name: "Mountain Rest House", location: @mohonk_lake}

@j_irving_goddard:person {full_name: "J. Irving Goddard", role: "owner", associated_place: @mountain_rest_house}

@alice_weston:person {full_name: "Alice Weston"}

@mrs_a_shortt:person {full_name: "Mrs. A. Shortt"}

@uncle_celestia:person {full_name: "Uncle Celestia"}

@abington:place {state: @new_york_state, country: @united_states}

@albany:place {state: @new_york_state, country: @united_states}

@alvington:place {province: @ontario, country: @canada}

@ontario:place {country: @canada}

@canada:place {}

@trude_eccleston_correspondence_collection:document {title: "Trude Eccleston Correspondence with Alice Austen, 1896", creator: @trude_eccleston, institution: @alice_austen_house_museum, created: @date_1896_08_30, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Social life","Victorian era","Mountain Rest House","Mohonk Lake"]}

@letter_1896_08_30:document {type: "letter", date: @date_1896_08_30, sender: @trude_eccleston, recipient: @alice_austen, content_excerpt: "Women, News, Co. May. Barnett ...", mentions: [@mountain_rest_house, @j_irving_goddard, @alice_weston, @mrs_a_shortt, @abington, @uncle_celestia]}

@trude_eccleston -> wrote -> @letter_1896_08_30 {when: @date_1896_08_30}

@trude_eccleston -> sent -> @letter_1896_08_30 {to: @alice_austen}

@letter_1896_08_30 -> mentions -> @mountain_rest_house

@letter_1896_08_30 -> mentions -> @j_irving_goddard

@letter_1896_08_30 -> mentions -> @alice_weston

@letter_1896_08_30 -> mentions -> @mrs_a_shortt

@letter_1896_08_30 -> mentions -> @abington

@letter_1896_08_30 -> mentions -> @uncle_celestia

@mountain_rest_house -> located at -> @mohonk_lake

@mountain_rest_house -> located in -> @ulster_county

@trude_eccleston_correspondence_collection -> contains -> @letter_1896_08_30

@trude_eccleston_correspondence_collection -> created by -> @trude_eccleston

@trude_eccleston_correspondence_collection -> held by -> @alice_austen_house_museum

Metadata

Files (2)

1896_8-30-1896 Aug 2006-trude copy.jpgJPEG
2.06 MB
OCR Text

Women, News, Co. May. Barnett Papa & I would find out about it. We had the usual service this week & I did the singing as usual. There are a lot more old women here, all ugly. I will be glad to leave & see some good looking people for a change. Well everyone has gone to bed so I must follow as it is not proper for me to be here alone with Mr. Goddard. Hoping to hear soon of your safe arrival at Abingdon & all about the place I am as ever your loving friend. (All miss you) Uncle Celestia

1896_8-30-1896 Aug 2007-Mohonk-trude copy.jpgJPEG
810.2 KB
OCR Text

MOUNTAIN REST HOUSE, J. IRVING GODDARD, PROP'IR. MOHONK LAKE, ULSTER CO., N.Y. Miss Alice Weston Care of Mrs. A. Shortt Alvington Thynston Ontario - Canada

Version History (5 versions)

  • ✓ v5 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:52:00 PM
    "Added description"
  • v4 · 12/9/2025, 9:06:50 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:06:45 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:55:47 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:37:56 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Trude_Eccleston_Correspondence_1896"

Parent

01KC29FBFZP2545MKCTXNQPWS4

No children (leaf entity)