Brief aan Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk Possibly 1892

This handwritten letter, dated possibly 1892, was written by German artist Julius R. Haarhaus (1867-1947) to Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk, director of the Museum Boijmans in Rotterdam. Haarhaus is requesting permission to reproduce a portrait of Erasmus in the museum's collection for his upcoming monograph on the humanist. This letter demonstrates the importance of museum collections for historical research and the relationship between artists and museum curators in the 19th century.