Briefkaart aan Jan Veth Possibly 1906

This is a postcard to Jan Veth by Karel Johan Lodewijk Alberdingk Thijm. I imagine him drafting this on a whim, maybe while he was travelling. Or maybe he was sitting at his kitchen table in the Netherlands, thinking of Jan Veth. I bet the artist picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began with a bold stroke, a kind of flourish, and then settled into the more careful work of addressing and composing the message. The writing, with its varying pressure, creates a rhythm across the surface. The smudges and faded ink speak to the passage of time, the journey of the card from one person to another. Think about the decision to send a physical card rather than a telegram, or even just word of mouth. It's a little piece of the artist's life handed to us, a small way of remembering.