Brief aan Philip Zilcken before 1908

This letter to Philip Zilcken was written by Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande, but when? We don't know, but we can imagine the time and place of the letter. I see the brown ink of the handwriting on the beige paper. It's full of looping, arching forms, like quicksilver in motion. I imagine the artist dipping his pen, thinking through what he wants to say. The words emerge, one after another, leaving a trace on the page, bearing the imprint of his feelings. He writes quickly, the quill scratching the page. There's a rhythm to it, a calligraphic dance. The letter is personal but also a document of its time, a small piece of art history. Writing letters is how folks communicated back then, like our emails today. But with a letter, it's more considered, more real. You touch the paper, you feel the weight of the words. It's like a painting—it's all about touch and process. We all need to slow down and write a letter to someone we love, just for the heck of it!