Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen 1809 - 1870

Curator: This letter, titled "Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen," from Leendert Dupper, dated somewhere between 1809 and 1870, strikes me as a fascinating material object. Look at the ink on paper. Editor: It looks like just a normal note on a piece of old, tattered paper. How do you interpret this piece through a materialist lens? Curator: We have to consider the context. Paper in this era wasn't simply a blank slate. It was a manufactured product with its own inherent value. This document is as much about material exchange, labor, and societal power structures as it is about the literal content of the writing. Consider the ink. How was it made, who made it, and what does the choice of ink reflect about Dupper's status? Editor: So the material is almost as important as the message? Curator: Precisely. What can this handwriting tell us? Was Dupper part of a merchant class? How were communications of this sort managed and what does it indicate about their work process? The wear and tear suggest the handling and transport of something crucial; not just intellectual but physical value. This also challenges us to reconsider the boundaries between “high” art and everyday communication. Editor: That makes a lot of sense! I didn’t think about that originally. It’s interesting to consider labor and materials like the type of ink and the making of paper. Curator: Exactly. Everything down to the ink and paper holds meaning and unlocks how these processes underpinned Dutch society at the time.