Alice Austen House 1896 Correspondence and Related Materials Collection

Version: 6 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 5:49:22 AM

Added description

Description

Alice Austen House 1896 Correspondence and Related Materials Collection

Overview

This digitized collection contains 43 items produced during the calendar year 1896, documenting the social and familial networks of photographer Alice Austen (1858‑1952) and her contemporaries. The materials comprise handwritten letters, envelopes, postcards, and printed marriage announcements, all rendered as high‑resolution JPEG images with accompanying OCR‑derived text. The collection is held in the public domain by the Alice Austen House Test repository and was assembled through the PINAX platform.

Background

Alice Austen, a prominent New York photographer and philanthropist, lived at Rosebank on Staten Island. The 1896 assemblage reflects a period of extensive travel and community engagement, with correspondence exchanged among family members, friends, and business associates. Provenance records show that the house collected and digitized the items, cataloguing them under “Alice Austen House Test.” Contributors include Julia Tabor Martin, Violet Ward, Carrie M. Ward, J. Irving Goddard, and members of the Austin family. The geographic reach of the letters spans the United States (California, New York, Michigan, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Chicago) and Canada (Ontario, Quebec), illustrating a trans‑national network of communication.

Contents

  • Marriage announcements (3) for the Clawson, Kirtland, and Bagley families.
  • Correspondence from Violet Ward (10 letters), Julia Tabor Martin (8 letters), Carrie M. Ward (2 letters), and J. Irving Goddard (5 letters).
  • Envelopes and postcards addressed to Austen from Staten Island, Connecticut, California, and Ontario.
  • Philatelic artifacts (10 envelopes and postcards) featuring U.S. and Canadian postmarks.

Notable items include Violet Ward’s May 21 letter, Julia Martin’s June 22 itinerary, and a postcard from Mountain Rest House, Mohonk Lake.

Scope

The collection is confined to the calendar year 1896 and includes only correspondence, marriage announcements, and postal artifacts. It excludes diaries, photographs, or other non‑letter materials. The assemblage offers a detailed view of 19th‑century social networks, travel, and civic life in the New York metropolitan area and beyond, providing valuable resources for researchers of family history, social history, philately, and regional studies of the 1890s.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {id: "01KBKY4REMWS91ZTCFWS3EN8R7", rights: "Public Domain", source: "PINAX", access_url: "PLACEHOLDER", created: {start: @date_1896_02_05, end: @date_1896_12_30}, language: "en", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Postcards","Envelopes","Marriage announcements","Weddings","Social life","Social history","Boarding house","Family history","Photographs","Philately","Philatelic organizations","Collecting","19th century","Travel","Family relations","Family visits","19th century American life","Health","Family","Music","Business","transcriptions","documents"]}

@alice_austen_house_test:organization {type: "Archive"}

@alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection {title: "Alice Austen House 1896 Correspondence and Related Materials Collection", institution: @alice_austen_house_test, description: "A comprehensive collection of 1896 materials related to Alice Austen and her correspondents, including correspondence, postcards, envelopes, marriage announcements, and related documents.", subjects: ["Correspondence","Personal letters","Postcards","Envelopes","Marriage announcements","Weddings","Social life","Social history","Boarding house","Family history","Photographs","Philately","Philatelic organizations","Collecting","19th century","Travel","Family relations","Family visits","19th century American life","Health","Family","Music","Business","transcriptions","documents"]}

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection -> held_by -> @alice_austen_house_test:organization

@alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection -> associated_with -> [@santa_barbara, @staten_island, @san_francisco, @kingston, @cape_vincent, @montreal, @virginia, @crescent_bay, @fishkill_new_york, @north_plains, @baltimore, @port_huron, @new_york, @canada, @clifton, @randall_memorial_church, @cazenovia_ny, @thompkinsville, @lancaster, @riverdale, @kingsley, @chatham, @gloucester, @albany, @los_angeles, @la_porte, @chicago, @syracuse, @new_canaan, @connecticut, @ontario, @alwington, @kingsboro, @barstow, @california, @mohonk_lake, @vineyard_haven, @alvington]

@kingston:place {description: "Kingston, New York"}

@baltimore:place {country: @united_states}

@port_huron:place {description: "Port Huron, Michigan"}

# Synthesis: linking creators to the collection (already established in subdirectory context)
@alice_austen -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@julia_martin -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@alice_andrews -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@austin_family -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@alice_linden -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@alice_husten -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@alice_weston -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@clara_austin -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@lawrence_d_alexander -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@mrs_lawrence_d_alexander -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@mr_erving -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@mrs_erving -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@jane_allen -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@american_collectors_association -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@violet_ward -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@julia_taber_martin -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@carrie_m_ward -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@j_irving_goddard -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@william_clawson -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@william_hathorne_kirtland -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@francis_h_bagley -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@b -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@trude_eccleston -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@carolina_machar -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@ed_van_renselaer -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@alice_aniston -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

@rhose_austin -> contributed_to -> @alice_austen_house_1896_collection:collection

# Cross‑collection participation (synthesis across subdirectories)
@alice_austen -> appears in -> @correspondence_announcements_1896:collection

@alice_austen -> appears in -> @marriage_announcements_1896:collection

@alice_austen -> appears in -> @violet_ward_correspondence:collection

@alice_austen -> appears in -> @julia_martin_correspondence:collection

@alice_austen -> appears in -> @carrie_ward_correspondence_1896:collection

@alice_austen -> appears in -> @collection_1896_correspondence:collection

@alice_austen -> appears in -> @alice_austen_correspondence_collection:document

@julia_martin -> contributed_to -> @correspondence_announcements_1896:collection

@julia_martin -> contributed_to -> @marriage_announcements_1896:collection

@julia_martin -> contributed_to -> @violet_ward_correspondence:collection

@julia_martin -> contributed_to -> @julia_martin_correspondence:collection

# Aggregations (file aggregates multiple sub‑collections)
@file_pinax:file -> aggregates -> @weston_collection:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @collection_1896_envelopes_postcards:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @marriage_announcements_1896:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @violet_ward_correspondence:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @julia_martin_correspondence:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @carrie_ward_correspondence_1896:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @collection_1896_correspondence:collection

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @alice_austen_correspondence_collection:document

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @collection_1896_transcriptions:document

Metadata

Title
Alice Austen House 1896 Correspondence and Related Materials Collection
Type
Collection
Creator
Alice AustenJulia MartinAlice AndrewsAustin FamilyAlice LindenAlice HustenAlice WestonClara AustinMr. and Mrs. Lawrence D. AlexanderMr. and Mrs. ErvingJane AllenAmerican Collectors' AssociationViolet WardJulia Tabor MartinCarrie M. WardJ. Irving GoddardWilliam ClawsonWilliam Hathorne KirtlandFrancis H. BagleyB.Trude EcclestonCarolina MacharE.D. Van RensselaerAlice AnistonRhose Austin
Institution
Alice Austen House Test
Created
1896-02-05/1896-12-30
Language
en
Subjects
Correspondence, Personal letters, Postcards, Envelopes, Marriage announcements, Weddings, Social life, Social history, Boarding house, Family history, Photographs, Philately, Philatelic organizations, Collecting, 19th century, Travel, Family relations, Family visits, 19th century American life, Health, Family, Music, Business, transcriptions, documents
Rights
Public Domain
Place
Santa Barbara, California, Staten Island, New York, San Francisco, California, Kingston, Cape Vincent, Montreal, Virginia, Crescent Bay, Fishkill, New York, North Plains, Baltimore, Maryland, Port Huron, Michigan, New York, Canada, Clifton, Staten Island, Randall Memorial Church, Staten Island, Cazenovia, N.Y., Thompkinsville, Lancaster, Riverdale, Kingsley, Chatham, Gloucester, Massachusetts, Albany, Los Angeles, La Porte, Indiana, Chicago, Syracuse, New Canaan, Connecticut, Ontario, Alwington, Kingsboro, Barstow, California, Cazenovia, NY, Mohonk Lake, Ulster Co., N.Y., Vineyard Haven, Staten Island, NY, Mohonk Lake, Ulster County, New York, Alvington, Ontario, Canada
Source
PINAX

Version History (6 versions)

  • ✓ v6 (current) · 12/4/2025, 5:49:22 AM
    "Added description"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 5:47:40 AM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 5:42:45 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 5:37:34 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 00000000000000000000000000"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 5:37:31 AM · View this version
    "Added children"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 5:37:09 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Parent

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Children (1)