Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1892

This is "Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken", a postcard by Albert Baertsoen held at the Rijksmuseum. Immediately, the eye is drawn to a network of text and graphic marks against a pale surface. The postcard's composition, featuring handwriting, stamps, and postal markings, creates a sense of layered communication. The interplay between the structured elements of the printed text and stamps, and the fluid lines of the handwriting, complicates any straightforward reading. Semiotically, the stamps, with their fixed denominations and official seals, contrast with the personal and variable nature of the handwritten message. This juxtaposition destabilizes the postcard’s function, turning it into a site where formal, institutional elements meet individual expression. Ultimately, Baertsoen’s postcard challenges fixed meanings, inviting us to reflect on how we interpret and construct meaning from the fragments of everyday communication.