Alice Austen House Museum

03/16/2023

Celebrate Earth Day at the Alice Austen House! On Saturday April 22 from 12 - 4 PM join our Education Department for an all-ages Anthotype workshop inspired by our spring 2023 exhibition Ecologies #3.
An anthotype is an image created using photosensitive material from plants. This process was originally invented by Mary Somerville who presented her research to Sir John Herschel (who is often misquoted as the inventor) in 1842. An emulsion is made from crushed flower petals or any other light-sensitive plant, fruit, or vegetable. Registration is strongly encouraged.

Our aura photo station will be available all day for singles and couples with optional interpretation readings.

Cost: Free to attend, make an anthotype, and visit the museum. $20 for aura photographs; +$10 (singles) and +$15 (couples) for additional interpretations.

03/16/2023

9 Places Where Women Made History | National Trust for Historic Preservation

This check out 9 places where woman made history from National Trust for Historic Preservation

Learn about several historic places across the country where women made history.

03/15/2023

We continue our profiles with Alice’s partner Gertrude Amelia Tate. Gertrude worked two jobs to support her family after her father died in 1897. She was a kindergarten teacher as well as a dancing and deportment instructor. In 1933 she did a series of radio charm classes over a New Jersey station when she and Alice were in the early years of their financial problems. From 1918 until 1922 Gertrude and Alice ran the Box Tree Tea room at the Perine House to support the Staten Island Antiquarian Society which later inspired them to have a tearoom here at Clear Comfort when they needed money.

E. Alice Austen, [Gertrude Tate], ca. 1900. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

03/13/2023

Today is so grab a friend or two and take a little nap to recharge from changing the clocks yesterday.

E. Alice Austen, Mrs. Snively, Jule & I in bed, 1890. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

03/12/2023

Le***an Life Before Stonewall – NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project

This women’s history month honor & explore LGBT Historic Sites with curated collections from the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Visit the link below to learn more about the Alice Austen House and le***an residences and social spaces in the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project collection Le***an Life Before Stonewall.

From Lillian Wald’s founding of a public health facility for the poor, to Berenice Abbott’s photographs of a changing city, to Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun, le***ans have left an indelible mark on New York City since at least the mid-19th century.

03/12/2023

Happy national in 1933 Alice took this photograph of the back of Clear Comfort with daffodils in bloom. Did you know that the daffodil is one of the flowers for March?

E. Alice Austen, [Backyard with daffodils], 1933. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

03/11/2023

As part of our Ecologies # 3 programming, join triennial artist Michael Dalton for a zine-making workshop inspired by his series Labor.

This workshop is a limited capacity with a materials cost of $20 per person upon arrival.

03/11/2023

Today is Did you know that Alice was fascinated by machinery and mechanics and that she carried tools around with her should she ever need to fix her car? It’s no wonder that when she went to the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, NY in 1901 that she photographed this tool exhibit from J.H. WILLIAMS & CO.

E. Alice Austen, Tool Exhibit, 1901. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

03/11/2023

It’s ! Did you know that Mary Olmsted and Alice’s Grandfather John Austen were both born on March 26th? Also Alice and Mary were both taught by Mrs. Errington.

To learn more about Mary Olmsted sign up for the Friends of Olmsted Beil House Program THE LIFE OF MARY OLMSTED on March 25th at 1 PM at the Alice Austen House. Join Friends of Olmsted Beil House advisor and art-historian Giuseppe Settinieri for a Women’s History Month program about the life of Mary Olmsted. Light refreshments will be provided after the program. RSVP required. To register email [email protected]

03/10/2023

Are you looking for places to visit during ? Then check out this article from Atlas Obscura of museums dedicated to extraordinary women.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/museums-dedicated-to-women

03/10/2023

Last week we had 4th grade classes from PS 60 the Alice Austen School here for field trips. These are some of our favorite photos the kids took.

03/09/2023

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Pamela Bannos Brings Victorian Photographer Alice Austen to Life with "My Dear Alice"

is the perfect time to listen to “My Dear Alice” the podcast. In this article from New City Art, you can learn more about the podcast and it’s creator, producer and narrator; artist and researcher Pamela Bannos.

Bannos produced a ten-episode podcast "My Dear Alice," based on letters sent to the Victorian photographer Alice Austen (1866–1952).

03/09/2023

Happy International Women's Day from the Alice Austen House! Here is Alice perched on a fence post trying to get the perfect shot of an automobile race on Southfield Boulevard. Alice was a photographer, a tennis player, a sailing enthusiast, and a founding member of the Staten Island Garden Club. She photographed people working on the streets, the facilities at New York’s quarantine stations and gave us intimate looks into the lives and homes of her friends and family. Alice was a fan of all things mechanical, she bought herself a car and carried the tools to fix it around in her purse.

Alice was surrounded by many exceptional women keep an eye out on our page over the rest of Women’s History Month for profiles on some of them.

[Alice Austen Photographing an automobile race], ca. 1908. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

03/08/2023

Revisiting a landmark of le***an photography

A fantastic Artforum article about the phenomenal JEB and The D**e Show a history of photography devoted to le***an photographers and subjects. We were so thrilled to be able to attend the first live presentation of the D**e Show in almost 40 years last month at the Center. Click the link below to read more about JEB and the D**e Show and then check it out as part of Images on which to build, 1970s–1990s,” an exhibition, curated by Ariel Goldberg at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art on view March 10 – July 30, 2023.

“HERE COME THE D***S! Here come the dykes!” A few seasoned attendees began the chant, as if to hasten the proceedings, celebrate our gathering in public space, and denote a protest action in one breath. They were swiftly joined by the rest of the intergenerational mix. This boisterous full house...

03/07/2023

Today is in 1892 Alice took this self-portrait in her favorite yellow and red dress.

E. Alice Austen, E.A.A. Self-portrait, 1892. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

03/05/2023

in 1894 Alice took this photo of a man grinding knives under and elevated train track on 6th Ave.

E. Alice Austen, Man grinding knives, March 5, 1894. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

03/05/2023

To celebrate the opening of Ecologies #3 the third Alice Austen House a triennial of Staten Island Photography our friends over at Nicotra Group lit up Corporate Commons Three in purple!
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Alice Austen was one of America's earliest and most prolific female photographers, and her legacy continues to live on today through Staten Island’s ever-growing population of photographers!

With that we are proud to light up Corporate Commons Three in honor of the opening of the 3rd Staten Island Triennial of Photography presented by This exhibit will showcase the diversity that lives in Staten Island as one of the more underrepresented boroughs.

The exhibit will run from March 4th through May 31st, and for more information, contact [email protected].

The exhibit will feature work from photographers seeking to document the boroughs relationship between living things and their changing environments- supporting the theme of ecologies for this year.

Staten Island’s environments, both natural and social, are captivating and ever changing; a quality the Triennial hopes to capture through the art from the following artists on display:
Michael Dalton
Dillon DeWaters
Jade Doskow
Gerard Franciosa
Jessica Gianna
Olga Ginzburg
Christine Hackett
Samuel Partal

Jury: Megan Beck, curator at The Noble Maritime Collection ; Justine Kurland, artist and photography professor; and Jessica Dimson, Deputy Photo Editor, The New York Times Magazine. Curated by Paul Moakley, Curator and Caretaker, and Victoria Munro, Executive Director.

These photos are only a glimpse into the talent being showcased, and the story of Staten Island in its rawest form this exhibit has to tell!

Lois and Richard Nicotra love to celebrate Staten Island and our cultural events and institutions are another reason to .

03/04/2023

Once again, the snow did not stick around in New York City but in 1914 this is what Pennsylvania Ave (now Hylan Blvd.) looked like when Alice stepped outside her gate.

E. Alice Austen, Snow Up Pennsylvania Ave drifts, March 3, 1914. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

03/03/2023

Thursday March 30 4-6 PM Join fellow educators for a free, lively evening of art and conversation and a chance to discover the Alice Austen House school offerings designed to inspire connection, empathy, and learning. Mingle with colleagues, explore our new exhibition Ecologies, and discover new programs for your students for this school year! Open to K-12 teachers, and school administrators.

03/02/2023

On Saturday, March 4th, the Alice Austen House is pleased to present Ecologies #3, its 3rd Triennial of Photography examining the state of contemporary photography on Staten Island (SI), showcasing a diverse NYC borough that is often underrepresented. Looking through the lens of Staten Island residents and outsiders documenting the borough, the 2023 theme examines ecologies, both natural and social, in Staten Island. Exploring this idea in work through traditional, digital, and innovative uses of the medium; this juried exhibition, curated by Victoria Munro (Executive Director, AAH) and Paul Moakley(journalist, photographer, and longtime caretaker of AAH), examines modern concepts and narratives that begin to reveal our evolving responses to the rapidly changing social and natural environment in this complex borough.

PRESENTED ARTISTS: Michael Dalton, Dillon DeWaters, Jade Doskow, Gerard Franciosa, Jessica Gianna, Olga Ginzburg, Christine Hackett, Samuel Partal

JUDGES: Megan Beck, Curator, Noble Maritime Museum; Jessica Dimson, Deputy Director of Photography, The New York Times Magazine; Justine Kurland, Artist and Educator

03/01/2023

Today is National So take inspiration from Alice’s grandfather and take a nap in public (although it may be a bit cold for beach sleeping today).

E. Alice Austen, Grand Dad, ca. 1890. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

02/28/2023

New York City there is snow in the forecast! We haven’t had much of it yet this winter so incase you don’t remember what it looks like check out this photo from in 1894 that Alice took of a snowy St. Paul’s Ave. Her notes on the negative sleeve for this photo are “WINTER - ST. PAULS AVE. / TOWARDS ST PAULS CHURCH / FROM JACKSON ST / FEB. 27, 1894”

E. Alice Austen, Winter St. Pauls Ave. toward St. Pauls Church, 1894. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

02/26/2023

Happy in 1904 Alice took this photograph of the “Lunch Club” playing cards in the parlor of her Staten Island Home.

E. Alice Austen, [Lunch Club Playing Cards], 1904. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

02/25/2023

FRIENDS OF OLMSTED BEIL HOUSE PRESENT: THE LIFE OF MARY OLMSTED

On March 25th at 1PM join the advisor and art-historian Giuseppe Settinieri at the Alice Austen House for a Women’s History Month program about the life of Mary Olmsted. Light refreshments will be provided after the program. RSVP required. To register email [email protected]

02/25/2023

Alice took this photograph of black oystermen in Maryland in 1894. Did you know that Sandy Ground a nation founded by freed African Americans here on Staten Island was established by black oystermen from Snow Hill, Maryland, in the 1830s? To learn more about Sandy Ground visit https://sandygroundny.com

E. Alice Austen, [Men Shucking Oysters], 1894. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

02/24/2023

It’s ! This tile which sits on the mantle in our parlor is the only remaining original tile we have from the Austen fireplace. Shortly before Alice and Gertrude were evicted from the home Alice actually pried all of the tiles off the fireplaces with a crowbar so they would not be left behind.

02/23/2023

It’s and way back in 1892 Alice took this photograph of her friends in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

E. Alice Austen, Mrs Meyers, Nan Webb Julia B. & self Messrs Booth, Rawl, Lebrod, Micklesly & Shumann, Feb. 22, 1892. Collection of Historic Richmond Town

02/22/2023

Collect them all! Ecologies #3 the Alice Austen House’s Third Triennial of Staten Island Photography opens on Saturday March 4th. While the exhibit is on view you can collect a postcard from each of our artists.

02/19/2023

And that’s a wrap on Fine Bright Day. We hope you all enjoyed getting to see Alice’s work accompanied by interpretive text by leading scholars, artists and activists from the LGBTQ+ and allied community. If you missed the exhibit you can view Fine Bright Day virtually at https://aliceausten.org/fine-bright-day/

02/18/2023

Happy Birthday Audre Lorde! Audre who described herself as a black, le***an, mother, warrior, poet lived here on Staten Island with her partner and two kids for 15 years. Their home is now a landmark.

If you missed our 2020 exhibit Powerful and Dangerous the Words and Images of Audre Lorde you can check it out virtually on our website at https://aliceausten.org/powerful-and-dangerous/

02/18/2023

Happy ! In 1891 Alice took this photograph of her friend Lou in a bunch of cabbages.

E. Alice Austen, Lou Alexander among the cabbages, 1891. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

02/16/2023

It’s and we are going way back to in 1892 when Alice took this photo of her friends Hattie, Joy and George in Bethlehem PA.

E. Alice Austen, Hattie White, Joy Chapman, & G. Booth, Feb 15, 1892. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.

02/14/2023

On a February day in 1901 Alice took this photograph of a covered dock on Swinburne Island at sunset.

E. Alice Austen, Covered dock and sunset, 1901. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

02/12/2023

When we think of Alice Austen & romance we are immediately drawn to her 56 year love affair with Gertrude Tate. 30 years of that incredible relationship were spent living at what we now know as the Alice Austen House Museum, affectionately known by the Austens as Clear Comfort. Sadly, the couple were separated late in life following their 1945 eviction from their beloved home and family fears of their "wrong kind of devotion" to one another. Something that was left behind in the hurried exit from the home was Alice’s letter collection from the last 2 decades of the 19th century. This collection was discovered in a closet by the Mandia family who lived in the home after Austen and who donated the archive to the museum in 1985.

Our favorite character of this collection of over 1,500 hundred pages is Daisy Elliott. Elliott was an athlete who managed the women’s Berkley Gymnasium in Manhattan. Elliott would also become Austen’s model for the illustrations in the 1896 book Bicycling for Ladies penned by the always inventive Maria (commonly known as Violet) Ward. Elliott, a bold world traveler and new woman of the age who would write passionately to Austen from her travels, revealing an intimate relationship & furthering our understanding of Austen’s le***an identity.

These short excerpts from Elliotts letters were penned the very year (1897) that Austen would meet Gertrude Tate "Please imagine my surprise & delight the second day out at receiving your special delivery letter! It went to my throat and knotted it all up" "How I wish I could write something really worthwhile. Something you would feel glad to get from me—there is a good deal more between the lines than in them. Read as much as you care to, and you will not be mistaken" "Dear, how thankful I am for what you have given me—don’t resist my giving to you—I don’t offer my love and friendship to many as I have to you."

Image 1: Daisy Elliott for Bicycling for Ladies 1896, Alice Austen. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Image 2: Valentine letter from Daisy Elliott to Alice Austen

02/11/2023

Last week we had a visit from Triennial artist Michael Dalton ( ) to look at the image and display options for his contribution to Ecologies #3.

Ecologies #3 the third Alice Austen House triennial of Staten Island Photography opens on Saturday March 4th. For more exhibit updates keep following us and sign up for our mailing list at the link in our bio.

02/11/2023

Today is and so we are flashing back to 1912 when Alice took this photograph of a woman holding an umbrella on a terrace when she and Gertrude in Europe.

E. Alice Austen, [Building with terrace], 1912. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.