Briefkaart aan Jan Veth

This postcard was sent to Dr. Jan Veth by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot in 1911. It offers an intriguing glimpse into the social networks of the Dutch art world at the beginning of the 20th century. Postcards were a popular form of communication, but this one also hints at the kind of relationships which underpinned the institutional art world. Veth was an artist, critic, poet and professor of art history; Hofstede de Groot was an art historian and curator who specialised in Old Master paintings. Sent from the Hague to Bussum in North Holland, the card suggests an informal dialogue between influential figures in the field. The brief message, postmark and stamp combine to form a small record of the everyday interactions that shaped artistic taste and scholarship. The Rijksmuseum archive is a rich resource for understanding the history and culture of the Netherlands, revealing how individuals like Veth and Hofstede de Groot contributed to the country’s artistic landscape.