Brief aan de heer De Bruine 1780 - 1836

This letter was written by Johannes Jelgerhuis. The handwritten script, with its loops and flourishes, immediately speaks to us of a time when personal correspondence was a cultivated art. The very act of writing, of committing thoughts and intentions to paper, connects us to a lineage of human expression that stretches back through the ages. The letter itself, as a symbolic object, represents communication, connection, and the desire to bridge distances, both physical and emotional. Think of the ancient Roman practice of sending scrolls, or the medieval missives sealed with wax, each carrying its own weight of expectation and consequence. Consider, too, the psychoanalytic implications of handwriting analysis, the idea that our innermost selves are revealed in the strokes and forms we create. The letter engages us on a deep, subconscious level, evoking feelings of nostalgia, intimacy, and the enduring power of human connection. Like the caduceus, a symbol of commerce and negotiation, the letter has resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings in different historical contexts.