Alice Austen was one of the first female photographers to work outside of a studio environment, often carrying up to 50 pounds of photographic equipment (including a portable darkroom) while working. Austen had learned photography at a young age from her uncle, who had brought her a camera from Germany. Meticulous in her work, Alice carefully inscribed detailed notes about lens length and light conditions on the envelopes where she kept negatives.

Austen's long-time home was a renovated Dutch farmhouse originally owned by her grandfather John Haggerty Austen. Named "Clear Comfort" by her grandmother, the home sat on the Staten Island shore, adjacent to New York Harbor.

The home's location meant that Austen was a constant spectator to the lively traffic of the New York Harbor. In her 30's, she witnessed the many, many boats that ferried almost half a million immigrants into New York each year. Moreover, before docking at the Federal Station on Ellis Island, these newcomers were inspected at the Quarantine Station just south of Clear Comfort.

Due to growing pressure on the only outpost of the station, the quarantine expanded to the nearby islands of Hoffman and Swinburne. As part of this expansion, Austen was commissioned by Dr. Doty of the U.S. Public Health Service to document the facilities for one year.

Captivated by the stories she witnessed and with a leaning towards photojournalism, Austen continued to visit the islands for about a decade. She carefully recorded the buildings, laboratories, and people of the Quarantine Station.

Alice Austen was truly a pioneer of early photography, her tireless dedication to the craft has left us with a vivid portrait of Austen's New York and its people. Throughout her lifetime, Alice took over 8,000 photographs, only 3,500 of which have survived. Clear Comfort has survived to become the Alice Austin House museum, a house museum that works to preserve her important legacy.