Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1914

Curator: Here we have “Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken” (Postcard to Philip Zilcken), created by F.M. Melchers before 1914. It's a postcard, with ink drawing and hand-lettering on paper. What’s your initial read of it? Editor: My first impression is surprisingly intimate, a quiet whisper across time. It’s a mundane object, a quickly scribbled note on a card, yet it carries the weight of a life lived over a century ago. It feels like stumbling upon a secret. Curator: I’m struck by how the stamp and the postal markings become integral design elements. The stamp itself—it’s almost a tiny icon, a compressed representation of a kingdom in miniature. And the waves created by the postmark—do you read them as movement? Editor: Absolutely, the waves are symbolic. Letters carry emotional content and personal history. In this case the direction is to Zilcken: the postcard itself is a humble messenger carrying something across a space in time. A bit of yearning, maybe, or a request, or simply the connection between two artists. It feels charged. Curator: And how do you respond to the handwriting? For me, that casual scrawl becomes an interesting meditation on mark-making. The act of physically writing a message seems almost lost in our time of keyboards and screens. Editor: Yes! It's not just about the words, it's the *energy* in the lines themselves. Each loop and stroke tells a story beyond the literal message. Also, notice that Melchers uses the visual space of the whole card – the orientation of each word and number really create their own dynamic composition. Curator: Considering that the postcard pre-dates the horrors of the first World War, perhaps there’s a poignancy layered in. Editor: Absolutely. The pre-war era, before the deluge. It brings such melancholy and such power to this tiny fragment. A moment suspended, unaware of the immense change coming. Thanks, Melchers, for the postcard and this melancholic moment! Curator: Agreed. What seemed like an ordinary missive becomes quite extraordinary upon closer inspection.