Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate. While dating Gertrude made frequent visits to Staten Island and the two traveled together abroad. Gertrude moved into Clear Comfort in 1917.

Inside cover of Alice Austen's gift album to Gertrude Tate. 1899 Alice Austen Hous

Friends at Twilight Rest. 1899. Alice Austen. Collection of the Alice Austen House.

Alice and Gertrude with friends - Austen stands to the far left and Tate to the far right Alice Austen. 1899 Collection of the Alice Austen House.

Twilight Rest group. Alice Austen 1899. Collection of the Alice Austen House

Gertrude Tate. Alice Austen. 1899. Collection of Alice Austen House

Gertrude Tate had been recovering from Typhoid fever and suffered hair loss. Here we see the intimacy and trust between Tate and Austen as Tate allows a portrait without her wig.

Playful scenes are a marker of Austen's personal photography. Austen sits wearing the hat. Wonderful neckties are a must in Austen's world at the turn of the century. Alice Austen. 1899. AAH

Gertrude was a kindergarten and dance teacher from Brooklyn who worked to support herself, her mother, and her sister. Here we see Alice gazing up at Gertrude while she dances. 1899

Catskills 1899. Alice Austen

The couple lived together at AAH until 1945 when they were evicted. They lived in a small apartment in Saint George until they were separated by poverty and Tate's family's disapproval of their love.