Envelop aan Philip Zilcken before 1905

Eduard Karsen made this envelope to Philip Zilcken, probably using ink on paper. It's interesting how simple and direct it is. Karsen has written the address with a very elegant hand, forming a kind of drawing on the surface. I imagine him at his desk, pen in hand, carefully writing out the address. What was on his mind as he formed each letter? Was he thinking of Zilcken? Of the exhibition in St. Louis? Of the many possible outcomes that correspondence can bring about? There's a real sense of human connection here, a trace of Karsen's presence. Even in this very mundane object, he’s speaking to us across time, like a conversation between painters about intention and attention.