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Rosebank is a neighborhood in Staten Island, New York. One interesting spot in Rosebank, is the Alice Austen House. Alice Austen was one the earliest female photographers in America. Over her lifespan, Austen took over 8,000 images, and is best known for her documentary photography. When Alice was ten years old, her uncle Oswald introduced her to photography. Her Uncle Peter was a professor of chemistry at Rutgers University; and during his visits he would show Alice how to use chemicals to develop the glass plates into prints. Alice took such a liking to the artform, that her uncles created a darkroom for her, in a small storage closet in the family home. Alice spend hours developing plates, and toning and fixing her prints. Her family provided everything she needed to further her love of photography; and years of trial and error, helped Alice to be a very accomplished photographer.

As Austen grew older, she became very active and began traveling. She took her photography equipment with her everywhere she went; which was no easy task. Her equipment filled a steamer trunk and could weigh up to fifty pounds. She traveled with multiple cameras, a tripod, a magnesium flash attachment, and glass plates up to eight by ten inches in size. She took the equipment with her in traveling and weather conditions of all kinds. She was determined to document everything she saw and did. Over 3,000 of Austen’s pictures have survived, and she is credited with gifting future generations with a look at life in the early twentieth century. In addition to Austen’s photography, she was a landscape designer, master tennis player, and the first woman on Staten Island to own a car.

The Alice Austen House, refers to the home Austen grew up in. Originally called Clear Comfort, the house was bought by Austen’s grandfather in 1844. Austen and her mother, moved into the home after Austen’s father abandoned their family. At the time Austen lived in the house with her mother, grandparents, and uncle Peter; as well as her Aunt Mary and her husband, Oswald Muller. Clear Comfort was the family home for one hundred years, until financial problems caused Austen to lose the house. Years left unoccupied, lead the house to fall into disarray; which lead a group of concerned citizens to take action to save the historical house and grounds. In the mid 1980’s, the city allotted $1,050,000 to restore the house; that would be almost 2.5 million dollars today.

Today the house is a museum with surrounding gardens, and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a New York City Landmark, and is a National Historic Landmark. The Rosebank neighborhood could tutor others in the importance of restoration and preservation.

Rosebank tutors want to see every student do well in school. If your student is struggling in school, a Rosebank tutor could be just what you need. Every student deserves the chance to succeed.