The Atlas Obscura Podcast Alice Austen House
Mar 24, 2026
Victoria Munro, director of the Alice Austen House, guides listeners through the life and legacy of photographer Alice Austen. She describes the coastal Staten Island house, Austen’s bold street and intimate private photography, her partnership with Gertrude Tate, and the house’s later rescue and role as a museum and creative program hub.
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Journalist Finds Alice Austen In Poorhouse
- Oliver Jensen discovered hundreds of Alice Austen photos in the Staten Island Historical Society that felt playful and modern rather than staged or pornographic.
- Jensen learned Alice was alive and living in the Staten Island poorhouse, prompting him to track her down and revive interest in her work.
House Was Alice Austen's Studio And Backdrop
- The Alice Austen House sits on the Staten Island waterfront with views of New York Harbor and served as Alice's lifelong studio and muse.
- The cottage's domestic spaces and coastal backdrop became recurring settings for her intimate, experimental photographs.
Child Photographer Who Bicycled With 50 Pounds Of Gear
- Alice received her first camera around age 10 from a sea captain uncle and set up a darkroom in a second-floor closet of the house.
- She used heavy dry plate equipment and even cycled into Manhattan carrying 50 pounds of gear to photograph street life.