Alice Austen was a Lesbian woman who rebelled against the normal traditional values of a Victorian woman. She lived an independent lifestyle and didn’t follow gender norms. She was one of America’s first woman photographers to look beyond the studio for artistic inspiration. Her intimate relationship with women, such as Gertrude Tate, played a significant relationship in her photography. Her photography showed life through the perspective of a lesbian woman in her time period. Austen was also intrigued by the Quarantine Station at Ellis Island so that is a big part of her photography as well.
Austen’s photographs are still relevant now in 2026 because it shows us a glimpse of how life was back then. Many of Austen’s photographs appear to be a little random, and they are because these photos are just how she perceived life. One of her photographs that caught my eye was of a man grinding knives. It stood out to me because you can see the busy streets across from the guy and the people surrounding him yet he seems unbothered by any of it. This really resembles New York City today because sometimes we have so much going on around us and we don’t even notice it because we are so deeply involved in what we are doing ourselves. Also New York City is one of the only places you will see something so odd, like someone grinding knives, happening right on the sidewalk. I think overall Austen’s photographs are so important because it reminds us that even though the time that she lived may seem so far away we can still relate to it.
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