Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1907

Curator: Here we have a fascinating peek into the past: a postcard addressed to Philip Zilcken, penned by Roger Marx, dating to around 1907. It's ink on paper, a quick correspondence now preserved at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought? A whisper from another era. There's something incredibly intimate about seeing handwriting on a card like this, picturing the hand that moved across the paper over a century ago. It almost feels ghostly, like tuning into a fleeting radio transmission. Curator: Absolutely, it connects us to the quotidian lives of figures we often only encounter in history books. This postcard provides insight into Marx’s social circle and habits beyond his formal art criticism. It circulated in a vibrant artworld; the social practice of correspondence created networks of art patronage, exhibitions and the art market. Editor: I imagine it wasn’t a formal art exchange! The postmarks and scrawled address give the whole thing this fantastic, slightly chaotic energy. The official “Carte Postale” gives way to this very personal script, doodles perhaps left on the back. Do you feel the creative intent even here? I love it. It looks more an invitation, written from friend to friend. Curator: I would add to that thought by emphasising that it's a study in public and private. We’re observing this formerly private moment of communication now permanently inscribed in a public museum collection. What seems casual today has become subject to the art historical gaze. It also represents an attempt to transcend borders between people, mediated by print. Editor: Makes you wonder about the unseen side, the message and its impact on the person who received it. Now this card has traveled into the public sphere, making viewers, like us, engage and question the history of relationships within it. Curator: Yes! Ultimately, this postcard reveals a fascinating confluence of art, communication, and the traces they leave behind within our broader cultural history. Editor: And to think all that from one small, humble piece of paper. So much narrative can come from even a glimpse of connection.