Kwitantie voor Nicolaas Bastert Possibly 1886 - 1888

This receipt, made by Frans Buffa en Zonen in 1886, records a payment to Nicolaas Bastert, and what immediately captures our attention is the cursive script. Here, the act of writing itself becomes a symbol, an echo of a time when handwriting was not merely a means of communication but an art form, a testament to personal identity and status. Consider how signatures, like the one scrawled at the bottom, have historically served as personal seals, imbued with the authority and identity of the individual. Yet, even as printing and typing replaced handwriting, the signature remains. It's a potent symbol of personal validation. Even in our digital age, the ritual of signing—be it physical or digital—continues to evoke a sense of authenticity. The signature persists as a cultural relic, a stubborn assertion of individual presence in an increasingly impersonal world.