1898_7-4-envelope004back copy.jpg

Alice Austen Envelope Collection

PI

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:53:36 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:40:20 PM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen Envelope Collection

Overview

The Alice Austen Envelope Collection is a digitized assemblage of postal envelopes from the correspondence of Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952), a pioneering American photographer and resident of Rosebank, Staten Island, NY. The collection comprises scanned images of envelope fronts and backs, accompanied by machine‑readable metadata and OCR‑derived text. The envelopes are dated to 1898, with postmarks ranging from local (Rosebank, Asbury Park, New York) to international references (Panama Canal). The files are presented in JPEG format and include descriptive tags such as dates, postmarks, recipients, senders, and notes.

Background

Alice Austen’s letters were sent and received from her home in Rosebank, a hub of late‑Victorian social life among Staten Island’s upper‑middle‑class families. The envelopes were preserved by the Alice Austen House Museum, which now curates the collection as part of its archival holdings. The digitization effort captures the physical characteristics of the envelopes—paper type, postmark ink, and handwritten addresses—providing insight into the postal practices and social networks of the era.

Contents

The collection contains three primary envelope units:
  • Envelope 1898‑07‑04 004 (Back) – Postmarked “ROSEBANK JULY 1948,” received 1948, with numerical identifiers and a “50+” note.
  • Envelope 1898‑09‑12 014 (Front) – Postmarked “A.SBURY PARK N.J.” on 12 Sep 1898, addressed to Miss Alice Austen of Rosebank, with a sender and recipient both listed as Alice Austen.
  • Envelope 1898‑09‑12 014 (Back) – Postmarked “NY” on 2 Sep 1898, noting “PANAMA CANAL” and a 1:30 PM timestamp.

    • Each envelope image is paired with metadata fields that record the postmark location, date, time, recipient, sender, and any ancillary notes. OCR text is provided to facilitate keyword searches and content analysis.

    Scope

    The collection covers envelopes from the year 1898, though postmark dates occasionally extend to 1948, reflecting later processing or re‑postmarking. Geographic coverage includes Rosebank (Staten Island), Asbury Park (NJ), and New York City. Thematically, the collection focuses on personal correspondence, postal history, and Victorian social life. It does not include the letters themselves or any other epistolary materials; its scope is limited to the physical envelopes and their associated metadata.

    Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@alice_austen_house:organization {name: "Alice Austen House Museum", location: @rosebank, type: "museum"}

@alice_austen_envelope_collection:collection {title: "Alice Austen Envelope Collection", creator: @alice_austen, institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1898, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Envelopes","Postal history","Victorian era","Social life"], description: "Collection of envelopes from Alice Austen's correspondence, dating from 1898."}

@rosebank:place {city: "Staten Island", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@asbury_park:place {city: "Asbury Park", state: @new_jersey, country: @united_states}

@panama_canal:place {description: "Panama Canal"}

@envelope_1898_07_04_004_back:document {description: "Envelope back side", date: @date_1948_07, postmark: @rosebank, notes: "Numbers 105794, 11/612, 50+"}

@envelope_1898_09_12_014:document {description: "Envelope front side", date: @date_1898_09_12, postmark: @asbury_park, recipient: @alice_austen, sender: @alice_austen, location: @rosebank, time: "3 P.M."}

@envelope_1898_09_12_014_back:document {description: "Envelope back side", date: @date_1898_09_02, postmark: @new_york, time: "1:30PM", received: @date_1898, notes: "PANAMA CANAL"}

@alice_austen_envelope_collection -> contains -> @envelope_1898_07_04_004_back

@alice_austen_envelope_collection -> contains -> @envelope_1898_09_12_014

@alice_austen_envelope_collection -> contains -> @envelope_1898_09_12_014_back

@envelope_1898_07_04_004_back -> postmarked at -> @rosebank

@envelope_1898_09_12_014 -> postmarked at -> @asbury_park

@envelope_1898_09_12_014_back -> mentions -> @panama_canal

@envelope_1898_09_12_014 -> sent by -> @alice_austen

@envelope_1898_09_12_014 -> addressed to -> @alice_austen

@date_1866

@date_1952

@date_1898

@date_1948_07

@date_1898_09_12

@date_1898_09_02

@new_york

@new_jersey

@united_states

    Metadata

    Title
    Alice Austen Envelope Collection
    Type
    Collection
    Creator
    Alice Austen
    Institution
    Alice Austen House
    Created
    1898
    Language
    en
    Subjects
    Correspondence, Envelopes, Postal history, Victorian era, Social life
    Place
    Rosebank, Staten Island, NY, Asbury Park, NJ
    Source
    PINAX

    Files (3)

    1898_7-4-envelope004back copy.jpgJPEG
    720.84 KB
    OCR Text

    ROSEBANK JULY 1948 RECEIVED 1948 105794 11/612 50+

    1898_9-12-envelope014 copy.jpgJPEG
    748.05 KB
    OCR Text

    After __________ days, return to A.SBURY PARK N.J. SEP 12 3 P.M. 98 Miss Alice Austin Rosebank P.O. Staten Island N.Y.

    1898_9-12-envelope014back copy.jpgJPEG
    625.77 KB
    OCR Text

    NY 9-2-98 1:30PM RECEIVED 1898 PANAMA CANAL

    Version History (4 versions)

    • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:53:36 PM
      "Added description"
    • v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:11:07 PM · View this version
      "Added knowledge graph extraction"
    • v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:57:22 PM · View this version
      "Added PINAX metadata"
    • v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:40:20 PM · View this version
      "Reorganization group: Envelopes"

    Parent

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