Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen Possibly 1876

This is a letter written in Brussels on February 28, 1876, by Willem Roelofs to Frans Buffa en Zonen. Letters like this provide a window into the 19th-century art world, when artists relied on dealers to connect them with buyers and manage their careers. Roelofs, a Dutch artist working in Belgium, is writing to Buffa, likely a prominent art dealer in the Netherlands, about sending a drawing, confirming the price, and hoping it meets their expectations. The letter is a form of business communication, but also a social exchange where one can feel how much artists depended on dealers for their livelihoods. Understanding the art market of the time and the role of dealers like Buffa helps us understand the economic and social conditions that shaped artistic production. Primary sources, like letters, enable us to understand the networks of exchange and support that were crucial for artists like Roelofs to succeed.