Photo: E. Alice Austen, [Steam yacht in New York Harbor], n.d. Collection of Historic Richmond Town.
Picturing the Water: The Photography of Alice Austen
On view in the museum’s library
E. Alice Austen, Our party in stern of Wabun, 1892, Collection of Historic Richmond Town, Original glass plate negative.
(From left to right): Ralph Munroe, Alice Austen, a male crew member identified in other photos as “Butterball” (identified through research as Thomas Quincy Browne Jr.), and Nellie (Munroe) Austen are seated in the yacht Wabun on the water. The photographer’s initials are inscribed in the lower left corner of the negative: “E.A.A.”
The Alice Austen House and the Noble Maritime Collection present a collection of never-before-seen nautical photographs of one of America’s earliest and most prolific female photographers. Living and working on Staten Island during the Gilded Age, Alice Austen (1866–1952) was one of the first women photographers to work outside the confines of a studio, employing a visionary documentary style that was ahead of its time. Picturing the Water explores Austen’s deep connection to both local and international waterways and the vessels that traverse them. The newly printed photographs, reproduced from Austen’s glass plate and film negatives, will be framed in John Noble’s signature handmade frames, reflecting on parallels between the artists’ visions.
This exhibition was guest-curated by Alice Austen House Executive Director Victoria Munro with collections assistance by Kristine Allegretti.
This virtual tour is courtesy of Dream Overture and the Alice Austen House Museum.
This exhibition was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; and by a grant from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.
