Brief van Willem Drees aan de schenker van het schelpenportret Possibly 1967

This letter was written by Willem Drees in The Hague in 1967. It’s a cascade of dark blue ink, looping and diving across the page. The handwriting has a definite rhythm, each word leaning into the next, like dancers in a line. I wonder about the moment Drees sat down to write. Was it a quick scribble, or a considered response? You can sense the pressure of the pen on paper, the way each stroke varies in thickness. It feels intimate, like you're peering into their thoughts as they unfold. The physicality of the writing—the texture of the paper, the weight of the ink—it all contributes to the experience. I feel the writer's presence. I’m reminded how much we can learn from the gestures and the marks people leave behind. It’s a kind of conversation across time, don’t you think?