Briefkaart aan Frans ter Gast Possibly 1917

This is an old postcard, created sometime in the early 20th century by Albert Roelofs. It's got two one-cent stamps stuck up in the corner. I imagine Roelofs sitting at a table, maybe in a cafe, scribbling a note to Frans ter Gast. I feel like I can almost hear the scratch of the pen on the paper. The ink is a deep blue-black, and the handwriting is all loops and swirls, like vines climbing a wall. You can see the addresses, the sender on one side, and Frans ter Gast on the other. It is a bit of abstract expressionism in itself! I wonder what Roelofs was thinking as he wrote? Was he in a hurry, or taking his time? Was it a simple hello, or something more meaningful? You know, it's fascinating how a simple gesture like writing can become a little piece of art, a time capsule of a moment. It makes you think about all the ways we leave traces of ourselves in the world, and how those traces can speak to us long after we're gone.