Alice Austen and Violet Ward Correspondence Collection, 1896

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:51:57 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:38:24 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen–Violet Ward Correspondence, 1894–1896

Overview

This digitized collection comprises a series of personal letters exchanged between photographer Alice Austen (1866‑1952) and her close friend Violet M.E. Ward, all dated between May 1894 and August 1896. The material is presented as high‑resolution JPEG scans of the original handwritten envelopes and letters, accompanied by OCR‑derived text files. The images capture the paper, ink, and marginalia typical of late‑Victorian epistolary practice.

Background

Alice Austen, a pioneering Staten Island photographer, maintained an extensive network of friends and patrons. Violet Ward, a fellow Staten Island resident, was a frequent correspondent and social companion. Their letters reveal the social milieu of upper‑middle‑class New York society, particularly the Cazenovia Club in upstate New York, and the broader leisure culture of the era. The collection is part of the Alice Austen House Museum’s Austen Family Papers, digitized to preserve the fragile originals and to provide researchers with searchable text.

Contents

  • Letters: Five principal letters (May 21 1894, May 21 1896, Aug 16 1896, Aug 26 1896, Aug 29 1896) and several ancillary notes.
  • Photographic scans: JPEG images of each letter and envelope, including marginal remarks and stamps.
  • OCR transcripts: Text files with machine‑readable versions of the handwritten content.
  • Metadata: Descriptive fields noting dates, locations (Staten Island, Cazenovia, Lake Mohawk, New Canaan, Thompkinsville), and subjects such as golf, travel, health, and club activities.

Key themes include travel to the Cazenovia Club, golfing lessons, visits to Lake Mohawk, and updates on family health. The letters also reference social events, such as a sail and a golf lesson, and practical matters like fare arrangements and a Harper’s check.

Scope

The collection covers correspondence dated from May 1894 to August 1896, focusing on the relationship between Austen and Ward. It includes only the letters exchanged between these two individuals and excludes other Austen family correspondence, photographs, or unrelated documents. The geographic focus spans Staten Island, upstate New York (Cazenovia, Lake Mohawk), Connecticut (New Canaan), and nearby locales.

Raw Cheimarros Data

@alice_austen:person {birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island}

@violet_ward:person {full_name: "Violet M.E. Ward", residence: @staten_island}

@cazenovia:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@cazenovia_club:organization {location: @cazenovia}

@rosebank:place {city: "Rosebank", borough: @staten_island, country: @united_states}

@lake_mohawk:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@mountain_rest_house:place {city: "Lake Mohawk", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@new_canaan:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@thompkinsville:place {city: "Thompkinsville", borough: @staten_island, country: @united_states}

@file_pinax:file {type: "Metadata (PINAX)"}

@file_1896_5_21ish_1896_may_2001_nyc_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_5_21ish_1896_may_2002_violet_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_5_21ish_1896_may_2003_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_16_violet_ward_undated_3001_copy_3_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_16_violet_ward_undated_3002_copy_3_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_17_1896_aug_3001_tomkinsville_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_17_violet_ward_aug_17001_copy_2_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_17_violet_ward_aug_17002_copy_2_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_17_violet_ward_aug_17003_copy_2_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_26_nd_2001_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_26_nd_2002_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_29_1896_aug_5001_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_1896_8_29_1896_aug_5002_violet_copy_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@letter_may_21_1896_violet_to_alice:document {date: @date_1896_05_21, author: @violet_ward, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @staten_island, content: "Your letter received ten M. ago. This is nothing more than I expected and planned for. I will be down tomorrow noon. Good luck to you."}

@letter_aug_16_1896_violet_to_alice:document {date: @date_1896_08_16, author: @violet_ward, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @staten_island, content: "All goes so far. So glad to receive your letters. Fortunately the Pater does not have to pay R.R. fare on this trip or we would be out. Wilson goes along."}

@letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice:document {date: @date_1894_08_17, author: @violet_ward, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @cazenovia, content: "My father is at the Doctor's across the way. Journey delightful. Everybody so kind here. Put up out the dust and invited for a sail last night. County beautiful temperature most."}

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice:document {date: @date_1896_08_26, author: @violet_ward, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @cazenovia, content: "I took a golf lesson from a professional who was here this morning. I was out three hours on the links altogether. ... The Unit is just not be sprinkled with meal preparatory to a leaf pear douse this evening. I am out of it of course. We leave here on Sat. Every one has been so nice I shall hate to leave."}

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice:document {date: @date_1896_08_29, author: @violet_ward, recipient: @alice_austen, location: @cazenovia, content: "Letter from you this morning with your new address. Write to me do. But don't say I have not written for I have written quite regularly for me. We leave here tomorrow and you must send your next."}

@file_1896_5_21ish_1896_may_2002_violet_violet_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_may_21_1896_violet_to_alice

@file_1896_8_16_violet_ward_undated_3001_copy_3_jpg -> contains -> @letter_aug_16_1896_violet_to_alice

@file_1896_8_17_violet_ward_aug_17001_copy_2_jpg -> contains -> @letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice

@file_1896_8_26_nd_2001_violet_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice

@file_1896_8_29_1896_aug_5001_violet_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice

@letter_may_21_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @cazenovia_club

@letter_aug_16_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @cazenovia_club

@letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @cazenovia_club

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @cazenovia_club

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @cazenovia_club

@letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @mountain_rest_house

@letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @lake_mohawk

@letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @new_canaan

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @thompkinsville

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @lake_mohawk

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @golf_lesson {type: "professional"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @horse {status: "better"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @harper_check {status: "arrived"} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @address_change {note: "new address"} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @travel_plan {departure: "tomorrow"} 

@letter_aug_17_1894_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @doctor {location: @cazenovia} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @golf_lesson {duration_hours: 3} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @lake {size: "6 m l.m.", activity: "small boat"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @sail {participant: "Mr. K."} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @meal {description: "leaf pear douse"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @father {health: "good"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @papa {benefit: "some good"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @stay {duration: "longer"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @doctor {visit: "again"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @horse {status: "better"} 

@letter_aug_26_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @harper_check {status: "arrived"} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @address {type: "new"} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @departure {date: @date_1896_08_30} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @missed {person: @alice_austen, feeling: "terribly"} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @affection {note: "Affeet"} 

@letter_aug_29_1896_violet_to_alice -> mentions -> @signature {initial: "V."}

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:51:57 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:05:14 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, 7:38:24 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Violet_Ward_Correspondence_1896"

Additional Components (13)

Click to expand and load individual components

1896_5-21ish-1896 May 2001-NYC-Violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_5-21ish-1896 May 2002-Violet-Violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_5-21ish-1896 May 2003-violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-16-Violet Ward undated 3001 copy 3.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-16-Violet Ward undated 3002 copy 3.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-17-1896 Aug 3001-Tomkinsville-violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-17-Violet Ward Aug 17001 copy 2.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-17-Violet Ward Aug 17002 copy 2.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-17-Violet Ward Aug 17003 copy 2.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-26-ND 2001-Violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-26-ND 2002-Violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-29-1896 Aug 5001-Violet copy.jpg.ref.json
1896_8-29-1896 Aug 5002-Violet copy.jpg.ref.json

Parent

01KC29F80BVHWX6K5P1B6BZ2KS

No children (leaf entity)