The Honorable Richard Biddle 1828

Thomas Sully painted "The Honorable Richard Biddle," capturing the sitter holding a letter, an object brimming with historical and personal significance. The letter, sealed with wax, evokes centuries of communication. Before modern technology, letters were vital for conveying news, conducting business, and expressing affection. Consider its appearance in Renaissance paintings as a symbol of diplomacy, in Dutch Golden Age works evoking intimacy, or even as a harbinger of news, good or ill. It can be compared to the use of scrolls in ancient art as a symbol of knowledge and authority, a motif that has been translated into a different medium yet conveys the same message. The very act of holding a letter invites us to ponder unseen words and emotions. It’s a powerful, almost subconscious link to human connection across time. The letter, therefore, is not merely an object but a vessel of human experience, an idea which continues to resurface, adapt, and find new life across historical contexts.