Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1891

Here's a look at a postcard to Philip Zilcken, by Jan Toorop. Without a specific date, the postal stamps will have to help us. The stamps tell us that this postcard was circulating within the Netherlands, likely around the turn of the century. Postal ephemera like this offers insight into social networks and communication practices of the time. Zilcken was an artist, critic, and author who was supportive of the Hague School artists, and like Toorop, he was a member of the art society Pulchri Studio. Toorop was an important figure in the Dutch Symbolist movement, so tracing who he knew, and what he said to them, can tell us something about the Dutch art world. Historians looking at these materials consult postal archives, society membership lists, and correspondence to uncover hidden stories. This postcard is a reminder that the meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional contexts.