Alice Wheelock Correspondence Collection
PI
Version: 5 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:52:29 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:41:36 PM
Added description
Description
Alice Wheelock Correspondence Collection (1898)
Overview
The Alice Wheelock Correspondence Collection is a small, digitized set of handwritten letters written in 1898 by Alice S. Wheelock to her friend and contemporary, Alice Austen. The collection is housed at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York, and has been made available online through the Pinax platform. It consists of three scanned images (JPG) of the original letters, each accompanied by metadata detailing date, place, and key subjects.Background
Alice S. Wheelock was a resident of Bostonville, a Staten Island community, and a close associate of photographer Alice Austen. The letters were written during a period of active social engagement and travel, reflecting the interconnected lives of upper‑middle‑class families in late‑Victorian New York. The correspondence was preserved by the museum as part of its broader effort to document Austen’s personal network and the social milieu that informed her photographic work.Contents
- Letter 1001 – Addressed to “Ella,” discussing travel arrangements and family matters.
- Letter 1002 – Also to Ella, recounting recent visits, weather, and a request for a call with Esther Lee.
- Letter 1003 – Directed to Alice Austen, celebrating a dinner at Dr. Clint’s residence and congratulating a family member on a “binder” event.
Each letter touches on themes of social life (dinners, elections, celebrations), family relationships (mentions of mother, Aunt, and relatives), and travel (journeys to Bostonville and beyond). The scanned images preserve the original handwriting, ink, and paper texture, providing a tangible link to the period.
Scope
The collection covers a single year, 1898, and is geographically focused on Staten Island (Bostonville and Dr. Clint’s residence). It offers insight into the everyday correspondence of a Victorian‑era woman engaged in both social and familial networks. While limited in size, the letters exemplify the broader patterns of communication, travel, and social interaction that characterized the lives of Alice Austen’s contemporaries.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_wheelock_correspondence_collection:document {title: "Alice Wheelock Correspondence Collection", creator: @alice_wheelock, institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1898, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Social life","Family relationships","Travel"], description: "Correspondence from Alice Wheelock to Alice Austen in 1898, discussing family matters, travel, and social events.", places: [@bostonville, @dr_clint_residence]}
@alice_wheelock:person {full_name: "Alice S. Wheelock", role: "Correspondent"}
@alice_austen:person
@ella:person {full_name: "Ella", relationship: "Friend"}
@dr_clint:person {full_name: "Dr. Clint", occupation: "Physician"}
@esther_lee:person {full_name: "Esther Lee"}
@emily:person {full_name: "Emily"}
@alice_austen_house:organization {type: "Museum", location: @staten_island}
@staten_island:place {state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@bostonville:place {city: "Bostonville", borough: "Staten Island", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@dr_clint_residence:place {description: "Dr. Clint's residence", borough: "Staten Island", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}
@social_life:concept {description: "Victorian-era social gatherings"}
@family_relationships:concept {description: "Family matters and kinship"}
@travel:concept {description: "Journeys and movement"}
@file_1898_2_1_nd_1002_wheelock_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1002:document {title: "Letter to Ella", date: @date_1898, from: @alice_wheelock, to: @ella, mentions: [@esther_lee, @emily]}
@letter_1002 -> about -> @social_life
@letter_1002 -> about -> @family_relationships
@letter_1002 -> about -> @travel
@file_1898_2_1_nd_1003_wheelock_copy_jpg -> contains -> @letter_1003:document {title: "Letter mentioning Dr. Clint's dinner", date: @date_1898, from: @alice_wheelock, to: @alice_austen, mentions: [@dr_clint]}
@letter_1003 -> about -> @social_life
@alice_wheelock_correspondence_collection -> includes -> @letter_1002
@alice_wheelock_correspondence_collection -> includes -> @letter_1003
@alice_wheelock -> correspondent_of -> @alice_austenMetadata
Files (3)
OCR Text
Mrs Alice Austen Bostonville Staten Island N Y
OCR Text
Tuesday 6 P.M. Dear Ella, Your letter came & I cannot express my relief to know you Mother made the trip so comfortably. I was not tired. I shall write you at every moment. I am thankful that I am at home. I hope nice weather continues to inspire my Emily. Don't forget in time a call with Esther Lee. Mother & Alice
OCR Text
Join in heartiest Congratulations. The Binder will have had a better day. Wee had a nice time at dinner at Dr. Clint's a nice time at the junior election returning about one & leaving this morning at 10-1/2 past three. I hope he is safely home. Give my love to your Aunt and with love & Congratulations you are I am Very yours Alice S. Whelch
Version History (5 versions)
- ✓ v5 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:52:29 PM
"Added description" - v4 · 12/9/2025, 9:07:44 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 9:07:27 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:56:20 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:41:36 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Alice_Wheelock_Correspondence"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)