Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1889

This is a letter from Henri Beraldi to Philip Zilcken, written in ink on paper, dated 8 September 1889. It gives us a glimpse into the social world of the Parisian art scene at the end of the 19th century. We can see Beraldi’s address at the top of the page, on Rue d’Anjou, a stylish area of the city. From the text, it appears that Zilcken has asked Beraldi to write some articles. Beraldi replies that he can’t provide any articles at the moment, because Zilcken didn’t give him the list of works by Macun earlier in the summer. However, he suggests a collective article on ‘beau forte’ in the Netherlands, aided by the books of Hippestst Kiming. The letter is a reminder of the importance of correspondence and social networks in the art world of the period. Historians might research archives of letters and other documents to reconstruct this social world and understand the dynamics of the art market.