Alice Austen Correspondence with Robert C. Lowry
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:50:48 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:41:08 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Austen–Robert C. Lowry Correspondence Collection
Overview
This collection comprises a pair of handwritten letters exchanged on June 28, 1895, between photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen and her friend Robert C. Lowry. The materials are preserved as high‑resolution JPEG scans of the original pages, accompanied by typed transcriptions. The correspondence is housed in the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York, and is part of the broader Austen Family Papers (MS1).Background
Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer whose work and personal papers provide a window into late‑Victorian social life on Staten Island. Robert C. Lowry, a contemporary of Austen, maintained a close friendship with her, as evidenced by the friendly tone of the letters. The exchange reflects the informal, domestic communication common among the upper‑middle‑class residents of the era.Contents
- Letter 1 (June 28, 1895) – Lowry writes from Grand Cascapedia, Quebec, describing the shipment of a salmon by express for a small luncheon and offering trout for breakfast. The letter also recounts his fishing experiences, noting that he has hooked and lost more salmon than ever before.
- Letter 2 (June 28, 1895) – Lowry informs Austen of his imminent return to Staten Island, planning to arrive the following week and to visit her on Sunday evening. The letter is signed “Very truly your friend, Robt C. Lowry Liddy.”
- Photographic scans – Two JPEG images (≈800 KB each) capture the original hand‑written pages, preserving ink, paper texture, and marginalia.
- Transcriptions – Typed versions of the letters provide a readable text for researchers and preserve the content in a more durable format.
Scope
The collection covers a single date (June 28, 1895) and focuses on personal correspondence between Austen and Lowry. It documents everyday concerns—salmon fishing, travel logistics, and social visits—within the context of late‑19th‑century Staten Island and Quebec. The materials are limited to these two letters; no additional documents, photographs, or ancillary items are included. The collection offers a concise glimpse into the social networks and leisure pursuits of a prominent Staten Island family during the 1890s.Raw Cheimarros Data
@collection_alice_lowry_correspondence:collection {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Robert C. Lowry", creator: @robert_c_lowry, institution: "Alice Austen House", created: @date_1895_06_28, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Salmon fishing","Grand Cascapedia","Staten Island"]}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@grand_cascapedia:place {region: "Quebec", country: @canada}
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth_year: @date_1866, death_year: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island}
@robert_c_lowry:person {full_name: "Robert C. Lowry"}
@salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_1:document {type: "letter", language: "en", date: @date_1895_06_28, sender: @robert_c_lowry, recipient: @alice_austen, subject: "salmon fishing", content_summary: "Sending a salmon by express for a small luncheon"}
@salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_2:document {type: "letter", language: "en", date: @date_1895_06_28, sender: @robert_c_lowry, recipient: @alice_austen, subject: "travel plans", content_summary: "Plans to return home, be back on Staten Island next week, and visit on Sunday"}
@file_pinax:file {filename: "pinax.json"}
@file_1895_6_28_june_5001_lowrey_copy_jpg:file {filename: "1895_6-28-June 5001-Lowrey copy.jpg"}
@file_1895_6_28_june_5002_lowery_copy_jpg:file {filename: "1895_6-28-June 5002-Lowery copy.jpg"}
@collection_alice_lowry_correspondence -> contains -> @salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_1
@collection_alice_lowry_correspondence -> contains -> @salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_2
@file_1895_6_28_june_5001_lowrey_copy_jpg -> documents -> @salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_1
@file_1895_6_28_june_5002_lowery_copy_jpg -> documents -> @salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_2
@salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_1 -> mentions -> @grand_cascapedia
@salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_2 -> mentions -> @staten_island
@robert_c_lowry -> sent -> @salmon_fishing_letter_1895_06_28_1 {item: "salmon", via: "Express"}Metadata
Files (2)
1895_6-28-June 5001-Lowrey copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Grand Cascapedia P.Q. June 28, 1895. My Dear Miss Austen, I am sending you by Express today a fine Salmon, and I hope he will reach you safely. He is by no means as large a fish as I would have liked to have sent you—still he will do for a small luncheon I think—if there are any small fish in the box they are trout—try them for breakfast—I think you will like them. I have had good sport here but not likely—for I have hooked & lost more Salmon than ever before in all my life; some of them almost double the size of the Salmon.
1895_6-28-June 5002-Lowery copy.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
I sent you today. I expect to start for home in a day or two—and to be back on the Island last of next week—and will drop in to see you on next Sunday evening. Hope you will be at home. Very truly your friend, Robt C. Lowry Liddy
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:50:48 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:00:32 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:54:53 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:41:08 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Correspondence_Robert_Lowry"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)