Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1923

This postcard was made by Eugénie Clapier-Houchart, and it's like a little whisper from the past. Look at how the ink lies on the paper, the way it’s absorbed, almost like a stain. There’s a rhythm in the handwriting, a kind of dance in the way each letter is formed. It’s amazing how much you can learn from the smallest of gestures. See where the ink bleeds a little around the edges of the stamp, and how the address is slightly smudged? It’s not pristine, it’s got this real human quality. I find myself thinking about what it felt like to write this note, to choose this card. It reminds me a bit of the work of Cy Twombly, with his scribbled lines and layered surfaces. It’s not just about what’s depicted, but the feeling it evokes, and the sense of time passing. Like all great art, this little postcard invites us to slow down and look closely, and to see the beauty in imperfection.