Trailbreaking photographer Alice Austen returns to home over 7,500 prints and negatives – Huge
With its panoramic view of New York Harbor, pioneer photographer Alice Austen (1866-1952) has been called “home” for most of her life, a sprawling, two-story, elegant Victorian Gothic waterfront property known as clear and comfortable. Situated near Verrazano Narrows Bridge near the Staten Island Shoreline, she will witness the commemorative convention of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, immigrants arrive on Ellis Island, where soldiers of World War I return from the front, and she has captured more than 7,000 incredible photos throughout her life.
Female photographers believe that Austin’s works are one of the earliest and most prolific works. She has long been considered an amateur, as she pursues handicrafts primarily as a hobby, and she is now recognized for her significant contribution to Canon for American photography. Her work has been run by the historic Richmond Town (formerly the Staten Island Historical Society), for decades, and in 1945 there were more than 7,500 prints and negatives. This month, the entire archive returned to a clear sense of comfort – now known as the Alice Austen House, now known as the Alice Austen House for landmark acquisition.
Austin grew up in New York and discovered photography at the age of 10, transforming the bedroom closet into a dark room. “In this family studio (and her muse of photography), she has produced thousands of rapidly changing photos of New York, making a significant contribution to photography history, documenting New York’s immigrant population, Victorian women’s social activities, and the natural and architectural world of travel,” the museum says.
When she participated in Victorian society as a woman of wealth and privilege, Austin also violated her customs, violated expectations for gender roles and family life. “Austen was a rebel who broke free from the Victorian environment, forged an independent life and destroyed the boundaries of acceptable female behavior and social rules,” the museum said. She often dragged bulky camera equipment and sometimes weighed 50 pounds on her bike.
Austin took humorous photos of family and friends during leisurely activities on New York and international trips. She also focuses on immigrants and working-class people in New York City, but her images mainly highlight the style and pastime of the upper class, from tea time “lags” to swimming to hanging out with girls, her relationship with other women proves her influence in the type of work she does and the way we read today.
Marking an important location in LGBTQ+ history, Clear Comfort has been home to 30 years in Austin and her life partner Gertrude Tate. Austen met kindergarten and dance teachers in 1899 and established a relationship that spanned fifty years. Although financial difficulties at the end of their lives forced them to separate, Austen lost all his wealth in the 1929 stock market crash, she and Tate were deported in 1945 and deported in 1945 – advocated to advocate for the maintenance of Austen’s work. Their family denied the ultimate desire for the couple to be buried together.
Today, Alice Austen’s house is dedicated to showing the breadth of groundbreaking photographers’ work and highlighting her role in the history of LGBTQ+ so far. The organization is a member of the National Trust for the National Historic Artist Home and Studio Program (formerly) of the National Trust and is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday.
If you are in Chicago, you include jobs in Austin The First Gay: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939 in Wrightwood 659-July 26. Great Marriage: Miss Alice Austin’s Life and Photos Bonnie Yochelson. Find your copy in the bookstore and plan on your visit to Alice Austin House on the museum’s website.
