Briefkaart aan Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk Possibly 1898 - 1899

This is a postcard sent to Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk by Pieter de Josselin de Jong, sometime around September 1898. Postcards like this offer a window into the social networks of the late 19th century. Here, we see an artist corresponding with the director of Museum Boijmans, in Rotterdam. Consider the intimacy of a handwritten note, penned during a time of great societal transformation. The rise of industrialization was reshaping class structures, and colonialism continued to exert a profound influence on global power dynamics. The act of sending a briefkaart itself speaks to a specific socio-economic context. Who had the time and resources for such correspondence? Whose voices were being amplified and whose were being silenced? This postcard reminds us that even the simplest objects can reveal the complex layers of history and identity.