Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1896 - 1897

This is a postcard, made in the Netherlands around 1906, addressed to the artist Philip Zilcken by Henricus Maria Antonius Coebergh. It offers us a glimpse into the social networks of artists at the time. The postal markings on the card provide some context. We can see the stamp indicates a small fee of 2.5 cents, reflecting the economic value placed on communication, and the postmarks from Leiden and The Hague tell us something about the journey of the message and its intended recipient. It is addressed to 'Kunsschild', which is the Dutch word for 'artist'. These kinds of everyday objects are valuable resources for historians. They can provide insight into artistic production and the circulation of ideas. Catalogues and archives are useful for understanding how artists operated within a particular social and institutional context. By piecing together fragments like this, we can better understand the cultural dynamics of the art world.