Dankbetuiging van dr. G. Stoel bij ontvangst van een ex libris c. 1942 - 1944

Curator: Well, here we have an intriguing little piece: an expression of gratitude titled "Dankbetuiging van dr. G. Stoel bij ontvangst van een ex libris"—or, "Thank you note from Dr. G. Stoel upon receiving a bookplate"—believed to be created around 1942-1944. It’s a humble message on paper, a snapshot of wartime civilities, perhaps. Editor: There’s something so quietly desperate about it. The aged paper, the minimal design… it speaks volumes beyond the literal words. I'm getting a melancholic atmosphere, as if politeness is all that holds things together. Curator: Indeed. Formally, you can appreciate the juxtaposition of typed text and handwritten script, this almost pleading “zur fraai” as though embellishing printed language itself needs further refinement of intent. The austere layout and limited palette really do point to the deprivations of the time. Semiotically speaking, you notice this too? Editor: Absolutely! And that 'Dirksland, datum postmerk.' It anchors the sentiment to a particular place and moment and is a visual reference to both a location and the constraints under which this note was created. This small rectangular piece embodies an exchange, a network woven within challenging circumstances. Curator: Yes, it's intimate in its intent, isn’t it? The act of sending and receiving bookplates was a moment of joy amid such dark times. Stoel’s ‘chirurg’ written below the note gives one pause when you contemplate how he and his patients likely relied on hope just to get by on a daily basis. Editor: And that handwritten '15-IV-1942'...almost casually jotted, yet fixed now as a point in history. A seemingly minor, inconsequential interaction has become frozen in time. This note suddenly feels like an act of silent rebellion - gratitude defying circumstance. Curator: Precisely! It prompts you to reconsider simple appreciation as an emotive, powerful and necessary element during times of upheaval. A bookplate acknowledgment becomes symbolic for the human spirit itself. Editor: For me, seeing it that way reveals how artifacts from these specific historical pockets can contain the echoes of shared feelings. The hope of human expression really is the art in all of this!