Alice Austen (1866-1952) was a documentary photographer known for her photography of New York City. She led a non-traditional lifestyle, having an intimate relationship with a woman named Gertrude Tate and remaining independently wealthy for the majority of her life. She took pictures of immigrant populations, harsh work conditions, intimate relationships between Victorian women, and different social events in Victorian society. The subjects of Austen’s photographs are important in 2026 because it provides us a lens into the life of a woman who did not live the life typically expected of women in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Austen’s photography can help us understand the diversity of women’s experiences in New York City.
The photograph pictured below, with a description of “Trude & I masked, short skirts August 6, 1891,” is pertinent to today’s life in New York City because it reflects that social norms can change quite rapidly. Although women smoking in their undergarments, or “short skirts,” as Austen labeled them, was radical for the time that the photograph was captured and most likely in a very private setting, modern New York City is a place known for people expressing themselves freely in public. The photograph captures an early form of the freedom of expression that has now become a vital part of New York City.
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