Briefkaart aan Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk Possibly 1898

This postcard was sent from Germany to Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk in Rotterdam. It presents an array of symbolic elements that betray both bureaucratic function and human intent. Consider the postal stamps and seals, for example. These official markings, intended to ensure proper delivery, resonate with the broader history of symbols of authority and order. We see this same need for order, for controlled progress, echoed in the bureaucratic seals of ancient empires. The very act of sending a message across distances can be seen as a symbolic gesture to connect, to reach out across the void. Similarly, the handwritten script, an intimate and unique mark of the sender, is an echo of the human desire to leave a trace, a lasting impression on the world. Like the cave paintings of our ancestors, each stroke carries intent, a desire to transcend the limits of time and space. These traces, these echoes, remind us that human experience is a tapestry woven across generations, each thread connected to those that came before.