Brief aan Jan Weissenbruch Possibly 1863

This letter was written by Christiaan Kramm in Utrecht on February 7, 1863. It is an example of the kind of correspondence that sustained the art world in the 19th century. The letter is made from paper, likely cotton rag, which would have been relatively expensive at the time. It is written in iron gall ink, made from tannin, iron salts, and a binder, which was a standard writing medium for centuries. The controlled flow of the ink shows the writer's mastery of the quill or pen. Each stroke reveals the pressure and speed of Kramm's hand. This process of writing was slow, meticulous, and intensely personal. Letters like this played a crucial role in the circulation of ideas and the building of professional networks, especially before modern communication technologies. Think of the labor involved: not just the writing, but also the making of the paper and ink, the postal system that carried it. All this material infrastructure was essential to the art world's functioning. This letter reminds us that art history is not just about masterpieces, but also about the everyday practices that support them.