Brief aan anoniem Possibly 1840 - 1841

This letter by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, currently residing in the Rijksmuseum collection, was produced on January 30, 1840 in Cleve, Germany. The material is paper, an invention that by this time had spread throughout Europe. Paper has a material and social history; once precious, by the 19th century it was widely available as a product of industrialization. This availability afforded a democratization of the written word, and in turn its production. Koekkoek’s penmanship shows off a virtuosic skill with the quill, a technology that had existed for thousands of years, but which was reaching its twilight. The writing itself gives insight into the Dutch art world, and its modes of exchange. It speaks to the network of artists, commissioners, and administrators that shaped the cultural sphere. Though the means of production here might seem simple—just paper and ink—they are tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. This letter is a reminder that even the most seemingly straightforward works are embedded in complex economic systems.