Brief aan Cornelis Gerardus 't Hooft Possibly 1911 - 1917

Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack wrote this letter to Cornelis Gerardus 't Hooft in 1911, using pen and ink on paper. The materials here are quite humble: paper, which was becoming increasingly industrialized at this time, and ink, a readily available writing medium. What strikes me is how Quack’s handwriting becomes an index of his own presence, his own labor. The swirls and pressure of the pen across the page create a unique rhythm, almost like a musical score. You can almost feel him leaning into the words, giving emphasis through the varying thickness of the lines. This is a direct, physical connection to the writer. Consider the effort required to produce such a handwritten document versus the increasingly common typewriter. Quack’s choice underscores the personal nature of the correspondence, emphasizing a human touch in an age of growing mechanization. It resists the depersonalizing effect of mass production. The letter becomes a testament to individual expression and craft.