Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1899

Editor: We’re looking at "Brief aan Philip Zilcken," possibly from 1899, by Albert Plasschaert. It appears to be ink on paper, a handwritten letter really. There’s something so intimate about seeing someone’s actual script like this. It almost feels like eavesdropping, don't you think? What strikes you when you look at this? Curator: Absolutely, there's a tangible sense of connection here. It's like archaeology of the everyday, isn't it? The letter itself, beyond the words, embodies a social dance of that time – the slightly ornate signature, the letterhead, they are artifacts of communication, really. I find myself wondering about the context, about Zilcken himself and what was at stake in this exchange. Doesn't it pull you in to speculate about what could be these two drawings "Te Veere"? Editor: Yes, totally! And "the still of Veere…the church…the arrival of Veere" three places or subjects mentioned in the letter are also drawing titles? They have such a nice flow to them... Were these artists often also writers and thinkers, going back and forth between different kinds of "script"? Curator: Oh, without a doubt. So many artists were polymaths of sorts! Remember the Arts and Crafts movement which deeply impacted on the aesthetic of the time. But here the penmanship itself tells a story, doesn't it? Almost like seeing brushstrokes. But back to your original impressions - it being akin to almost… *eavesdropping*. Where does that feeling sit for you? Editor: I guess it's just the private nature of correspondence. Like we’re glimpsing something we shouldn't be. Yet, here it is, preserved and now open to interpretation. It changes the relationship somehow. Curator: Precisely. And I think by appreciating that tension, we're respecting the spirit of the artifact but still finding ourselves involved in its story. A bit like respectfully joining a dance already in full flow. Editor: Definitely! I'll never look at a letter the same way again. Thanks!