In Bonnie Yochelson’s copiously illustrated, extensively researched, and highly entertaining biography, ‘Too Good to Get Married: The Life and Photographs of Miss Alice Austen’ (Fordham University Press / Empire State Editions); she describes how a woman who grew up in the Gilded Age, when the term “lesbian” did not yet exist, challenged and conformed to the conservative ideals of Staten Island high society
Prolific amateur photographer of skill and wit, Alice Austen (1866-1952) documented the “larky life” of Gilded Age Staten Island— its tennis matches, yacht races, and parties. Inspired not by fine art but by popular culture, Austen is best known today for a group of humorous photographs in which she and her friends challenged gender norms— “smoking” cigarettes, feigning drunkenness, and dressing in men’s clothing—and for “Street Types of New York,” a portfolio depicting people who worked on Manhattan’s streets. Austen embraced the rebellious spirit of the “New Woman,” a moniker given to those who defied expectations by pursuing athletics, higher education, or careers. She had romantic affairs with women, and at 31, she met Gertrude Tate, who became her life partner of more than 50 years. When in 1951 a young journalist asked her why she never married, the 84-year-old Austen replied, “I guess I was too good to get married”.
