Briefkaart aan Wilhelmina Antonette Stumpff Possibly 1902 - 1909

This is the back of a postcard addressed by Johanna Bauer-Stumpff to Wilhelmina Antonette Stumpff. Note the stamps and seals. The circular seals, prominently placed, bear witness to the passage of this message. The circle, one of the oldest symbols known to humanity, has roots stretching back to the Stone Age. Circles evoke a sense of wholeness and continuity, which we can find echoed in countless iterations of sacred art and architecture. The circular form of the seal, in this context, speaks to the cyclical nature of communication and exchange; think of the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail! The postal seal, thus, becomes a potent symbol, not only of bureaucratic function but also of humanity’s enduring need to reach out, connect, and inscribe our existence within a collective memory. The act of sending and receiving messages carries its own weight in the history of human symbolism.