
b. 1866 d. 1952
Site Affiliation: Alice Austen House
Alice Austen was introduced to photography at age 10 in 1876. A second-floor closet of her home on the shore line of the New York Narrows Harbor served as her darkroom. In this home studio, which was also one of her photographic muses, she produced over 8,000 photographs of a rapidly changing New York City. One of America’s first female photographers to work outside of the studio, Austen often transported up to 50 pounds of photographic equipment on her bicycle to capture her world. Her photographs represent street and private life through the lens of a lesbian woman whose life spanned from 1866 to 1952. Austen was a rebel who broke away from the constraints of her Victorian environment and forged an independent life that broke the boundaries of acceptable female behavior and social rules.
Primary Medium: Photography
Primary Stylistic Term: Documentary Photography
Fun Fact: Alice Austen was a champion Tennis player and Staten Island was the first site in America where the game was played
Recommended Publications: Alice’s World: The Life and Photography of an American Original by Ann Novotny