Brief aan August Allebé Possibly 1902

Johannes Hubertus Leonardus de Haas wrote this letter to August Allebé in 1902, using dark brown ink on paper. The fluid loops of the handwriting suggest he was in a hurry, or maybe just didn't care too much about being neat – I know that feeling well. I can imagine him hunched over his desk, the nib of his pen scratching across the page, his thoughts pouring out in a stream of consciousness. Was he chain-smoking a pipe? Was he agitated or simply keen to share news? You can see that he crosses out a word, right there in the middle, as if thinking aloud and then self-correcting. I think he was probably aware that this everyday object might survive him, becoming something more than just a note, a curious artifact. The letter becomes a testament to the artistic connections that fuel creativity.