Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1894

This briefkaart, or postcard, was made by Jacob Nicolaas van Hall, likely in the 1890s. It's a humble object made of processed wood pulp, printed with standard postal markings, and then inscribed by hand in ink. The card's surface bears witness to layers of communication: pre-printed text providing space for an address, a postage stamp, and then the handwritten information itself, which is in turn canceled by postal marks. The material of the card, though simple, was only made possible by industrialized processes of paper production and printing. These allowed for mass communication and the easy circulation of messages. The very act of writing on this modest surface transforms it into a kind of folk art, a personal intervention on a mass-produced form. This card reminds us that even the most ordinary materials can carry immense social and historical significance. We see here a conversation, a connection forged through the simple act of inscription and postage, reminding us that all art is ultimately about human exchange.