Briefkaart aan jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout (1879-1969) Possibly 1932 - 1936

Lodewijk Schelfhout produced this postcard, likely with photographic means, addressed to Jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout, director of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The act of sending a postcard, a relatively new form of communication at the time, speaks to evolving social dynamics. Its accessibility democratized correspondence, contrasting with the more formal letter writing traditionally associated with the upper classes. It is relevant that the receiver has the aristocratic title of Jonkheer or esquire. The postcard format itself—its size, its stamps—reflects the infrastructure of the postal service, an institution that standardized communication and fostered a sense of national identity in the Netherlands. Social historians might examine postal archives, address books, and other forms of ephemera to fully understand the role of such documents in shaping social networks and cultural values. This artwork then becomes a window into the everyday rituals and power structures of Dutch society in the early 20th century.