Prentbriefkaart aan Willem Bogtman before 1926

This is a prentbriefkaart aan Willem Bogtman, or postcard to Willem Bogtman, made by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. In terms of formal composition, the card is divided into two distinct fields: on the left, the handwritten message, and on the right, the address and postal markings. The textural contrast between the smooth paper and the various inscriptions is notable; Roland Holst’s cursive script, dense and personal, interacts with the mechanical precision of the printed address lines and the obliterating postal stamps. This interplay between hand-applied and machine-made marks creates a dialogue between intimacy and bureaucracy, reflecting the communicative function of a postcard in its era. The stamps, with their symbolic imagery, add another layer of semiotic encoding, pointing to notions of nationhood and officialdom. The visual structure of this postcard goes beyond mere function, embodying a convergence of personal expression within the framework of public communication systems.