Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1917

This postcard to Philip Zilcken, made in 1917 by Adriaan Pit, is such an intimate artifact. I can imagine Pit writing quickly, the pen scratching across the paper, barely pausing to think. The looping script almost forms another layer of abstraction on top of the card. The ink is faded now, but you can sense the pressure he applied to the pen, the urgency of his thoughts. The smudged postmark and the address scrawled across the bottom add another layer of texture. It makes me think about all the other postcards and letters being sent back and forth at that time, especially during World War One – each one a small act of connection amidst chaos. There’s something incredibly touching about seeing this little piece of personal communication preserved in a museum. It makes you wonder about the lives and relationships of the people involved, about what they were going through at that moment in history. For me, it highlights how even the simplest, most ephemeral objects can carry so much meaning.