Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1926

This ‘Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken’ was made in 1892 by Joseph Mendes da Costa, and is held at the Rijksmuseum. It's a humble postcard, but it offers a glimpse into the late 19th-century art world of the Netherlands. Postcards like this were a new technology that facilitated communication in a rapidly modernizing world, and the postal markings point to an intricate network of institutions that were developing at the time. The very act of sending a postcard suggests a certain level of social connection and mobility. It speaks to the growth of an art world where artists like Mendes da Costa could maintain relationships with figures like Philip Zilcken, who was another artist working at the time. The Rijksmuseum's preservation of this seemingly mundane object highlights the role of museums in constructing historical narratives. By studying such items, we gain a richer understanding of the social conditions that shaped artistic production and exchange in the Netherlands. Resources like postal archives and biographical databases can illuminate the networks and institutions that fostered artistic creativity during this period. The meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.