Briefkaart aan Jan Veth Possibly 1887 - 1888

This "Briefkaart aan Jan Veth" was made with paper, ink, and a printing press. The artist, Chap van Deventer, created this piece in a time when postal communication was becoming increasingly standardized. The card itself is a simple rectangle, mass-produced. What makes it interesting, though, is how Deventer uses the ready-made format. The writing is in a flowing script, almost a performance of handwriting. The postmarks and stamp, normally just functional elements, become part of the composition, layered into the card's visual history. The card embodies a moment in the history of communication, where personal expression met industrial production. The labor involved is distributed – from the factory workers making the paper to the postal workers delivering the message. This challenges our ideas about craft, moving it beyond handmade objects to encompass how we engage with mass-produced items in a personal way.