Letter P c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have "Letter P" by an anonymous artist. It looks like a woodcut, and it's so small! What can we learn about its production and use? Curator: Focus on the medium itself. The texture of the wood, the process of carving, and printing—these were all part of a larger system of production. How might this letter have been used, and by whom? Editor: Maybe for illuminated manuscripts or early printed books? It’s interesting to consider the labor involved. Curator: Exactly! And how that labor connects to literacy, access to information, and ultimately, power structures of the time. Editor: I never considered how something so simple could be tied to such complex ideas. Thanks! Curator: Materiality always tells a story, if we know how to look.