The Darned Club, October 29, 1891. Collection of Historic Richmond Town
A prominent street photographer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries is seeing her archive come home. More than 7,500 original prints and negatives by Alice Austen are being transferred to her Staten Island home, now known as the Alice Austen House. This will give the structure a near-complete archive of her work.
Austen had donated the archive to the Staten Island Historical Society (now known as Historic Richmond Town) when she was evicted from her home in 1945. After 80 years of care, Historical Richmond Town has returned the work to its original home, where it will be welcomed with open arms.
Known for her street photography and her glimpse into the lives of women during the Victorian era, Austen is held in high regard. She was one of the first female photographers to work outside of a studio, hauling her heavy equipment to Manhattan, where she would photograph immigrant populations and the working class. Independently wealthy, she didn't rely on photography to support her, which gave her enormous freedom in her subjects.
That freedom is fortunate for viewers, as her work is a rare glimpse into Victorian America. However, her work is also deeply personal and serves as a beautiful documentation of the life she shared with Gertrude Tate. The women, who met in 1897, lived together for over 30 years in Austen's Victorian mansion, which is now the Alice Austen House. In 2017, the site was designated a National LGBT Historic Site, and the addition of the archive only enhances our understanding of their loving, long-term relationship.
To make the archive available to a wider public, Alice Austen House has announced plans to digitize it in its entirety, starting in late 2025.
“This transfer marks a pivotal moment—not only for our institution, but for the broader cultural landscape—at a time when LGBTQ+ communities face renewed threats of erasure,” shares Victoria Munro, executive director of the Alice Austen House. “Museums must lead in preserving and amplifying these vital legacies, and we are proud to do so.”
More than 7,500 original prints and negatives by 19th-century photographer Alice Austen are being transferred back to her Staten Island home, the Alice Austen House.
Mr. Montgomery Uncle Brother, Bay Head NJ, August 25, 1895. Collection of Historic Richmond Town
Alice Austen, Trude, and Carrie Post, June 15, 1888. Collection of Historic Richmond Town
Mrs. Snivley, Jule and Alice Austen in Bed, Bennington, VT, August 29, 1890. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Two People in Costumes. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Jack, Ben, Julia Bredt & Alice Austen, October 21, 1890. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Austen is known for giving glimpses into the lives of women during the Victorian era.
Group of Women at Clear Comfort. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Alice Austen In a Rowboat in the Trossachs, 1903. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate in a Rowboat in the Trossachs, 1903. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Julia Martin, Julia Bredt, and Alice Austen dressed up. Oct. 15, 1891.
Violet Ward and a Friend at Clear Comfort, ca. 1900. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Gertrude Tate with Her Wig in Hand, 1899. From a photo album Alice made for Gertrude. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
She was also a trailblazer in street photography.
Policeman, ca. 1896. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Pretzel Vendor and Emigrant, ca. 1896. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Self-taught, she was one of the first female photographers to work outside the studio.
Guy Loomis, Alice Austen, and Gertrude Tate in Car, April 23, 1910. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Tombstone Trude & Mr. Hopper ‘Yes’, Watkins, NY, August 3, 1892. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Bethlehem Pennsylvania Tea Party Lark, February 20, 1892. Collection of the Alice Austen House.
Group Apparatus, May 23, 1893. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
The Schlubachs G.A.T. EAA, October 13, 1907. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Alice Austen House: Website | Instagram | Facebook
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Alice Austen House.
Related Articles:
Vivian Maier’s Poetic Color Photography Is Revealed for the First Time
How an Early 1900s Photographer Helped Change America as We Know It
Young Student Secretly Photographs People with Hidden Spy Cam in the 1890s
Jacob Riis: The Photographer Who Showed “How the Other Half Lives” in 1890s NYC
