Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1897

This briefkaart, or postcard, was sent to Philip Zilcken by Johannes de Koo. It's a modest artifact, made possible by an industrialized system of printing and postal distribution. The card itself is made of paper stock, likely produced in a factory. Its surface bears printed text and official stamps, evidence of a network designed for mass communication. In its time, this would have been a thoroughly modern object. Look closely, and you'll see traces of human touch: the handwritten address, the ink of the sender's signature. The postal markings are equally significant. They demonstrate how systems of organization, labor, and delivery are tied to the most intimate messages. This postcard reminds us that even the simplest objects carry within them complex histories of production, and that the story of art is inextricably bound to the story of industrial society.