Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1888

Frans Lebret made this letter to Jan Veth with paper and ink. It's an everyday item, not something we usually think of as high art. But consider the materials: paper, even humble paper, is the result of skilled labor in forestry, transport, and manufacture. And ink is a carefully calibrated substance, made to flow from the nib of a pen. Then there's the writing itself, a kind of performance. The controlled pressure, the consistent forms of the letters - all of this speaks to Lebret's education, his social class, and his intention. It's clear that he had to invest time and attention into making it legible for the recipient. Even a simple handwritten letter has encoded within it labor, social relations, and acts of consumption. Recognizing that reminds us that all creative work is embedded in wider systems of production, exchange, and value.