Reisdocument Possibly 1833 - 1837

Editor: This… is remarkably intact for its age. Curator: Indeed. What we're looking at is "Reisdocument," or "Travel Document," an anonymous drawing dating from the 1830s, housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s rendered in ink on paper. Editor: The script itself is mesmerizing—so precise, but also sort of rushed? You can see the lines scoring the paper where the pen pressed too hard. I’m wondering what pressures impacted the hand as it was produced? Curator: Travel at this time was being reshaped by new infrastructures, impacting everything from materials to production. Notice how this printed document becomes personalized with handwritten additions – a key moment reflecting the shift of centralized authorities documenting population movement. Editor: So, pre-printed forms mass produced for use in offices – very of the moment given emerging industry and more efficient travel – and still the personal touch in black ink. Do we know where this particular ticket allowed the holder to travel? Curator: The ticket indicates travel from Cleve to Cologne— Kleve nach Coln—it's likely the passenger travelled by Schnellpost, which you see at the top, or express mail coach. Seat number 4! Editor: It’s interesting to see that a little further down, the document outlines charges “to be paid to the postilion in the post coach,” and charges for luggage… it speaks volumes about this time and its attitude to travel and even class divides. The material components – ink and paper – tell us about an era on the move. Curator: Right, and the physical form itself signals state control over movement and taxation. Think about the rise of record keeping, especially when linked to emergent technologies. It shows bureaucracy shaping even intimate actions such as individual journeys. Editor: That intersection of state infrastructure and daily life makes me see this object anew. Thanks! Curator: Precisely, revealing history within even ephemeral things such as tickets.