Briefkaart aan Jan Veth Possibly 1885 - 1887

Editor: Here we have "Briefkaart aan Jan Veth," a postcard to Jan Veth, possibly from between 1885 and 1887 by Jac van Looij. It’s done with pen and ink on paper. It feels like peering into a moment of someone's everyday life, a fleeting message captured in time. What's your take on this little slice of history? Curator: Oh, I love finding these intimate scraps! This postcard is far more than just a delivery of mail. It whispers of a connection, a fragile bridge built between van Looij and Jan Veth. The penmanship alone is like a tiny, swirling landscape, wouldn't you agree? Do you think the urgency or casualness comes through? Editor: Absolutely. It does seem hasty. A quick note, dashed off maybe between paintings. And the postmarks add a layer of intrigue…where has this card been? Curator: Precisely! Think about it, each stamp a tiny echo of its journey, a geographical poem almost. And consider van Looij’s choice of sending a visual message versus a telephone or telegraph. This becomes a deliberate act of sharing, of visually touching base, across, possibly, considerable physical distance. Can we even grasp that kind of connection today? Editor: That’s true. We’re so saturated with images. This feels so… personal. I wonder if they ever imagined it would end up in a museum? Curator: Unlikely! But isn’t that the magic? Art isn't always about grand pronouncements, or is it? Sometimes it's in the quiet murmur of a postcard, connecting two souls across time and space, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely food for thought! I will definitely see more stories hidden behind those hasty ink lines from now on.