Brief aan Elsie Maud Cownie Possibly 1905 - 1908

This is a letter to Elsie Maud Cownie, written by Philip Zilcken sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, probably with a dip pen and iron gall ink. I love the way the letter trails across the page, its own kind of gestural performance. He seems to be in a rush, trying to make a plan to see Elsie. ‘I propose Monday next, the 7th (I like the number 7)’. You can almost see him pausing, smiling to himself at his own little thought. Then he gets back to the point: ‘Try to come early, as usually’. I can feel the urgency of this moment. It’s like those quick sketches artists do – a burst of energy and intention, captured right there on the page. Each stroke of the pen, each word chosen, is a little act of connection. It reminds me a little of the letters Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. This is painting, but with words.