Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1893

Jan Toorop created this briefkaart, or postcard, to Philip Zilcken, using ink on paper. Note the seals, one from Amsterdam, the other a Dutch postage stamp: circular forms that frame symbols of authority. Seals are ancient emblems. Consider the seals of antiquity, royal signet rings, or even the wax seals on letters of old. They are potent symbols of validation and power, used to authenticate documents and assert authority. The visual language of the state – the crown, the lion rampant – echoes through centuries. These symbols resurface throughout history, evolving yet retaining their core significance. In our collective psyche, they still evoke feelings of officialdom, of messages that carry weight. The humble postcard, transformed into a carrier of civic identity. The act of sending a postcard becomes a gesture imbued with echoes of history.