Letter from Captain Gobée to the Department of the Navy about the Hopfgartner Log Possibly 1884 - 1889

F.C. Gobée produced this letter to the Department of the Navy in 1884, likely with ink on paper. The composition reveals a hierarchy through script size and placement, guiding the reader's eye from the formal address at the top, to the body, and concluding with the signature. The visual structure of the writing itself—its calligraphic lines and formal arrangement—communicates authority and bureaucratic function. This contrasts with the wear of the paper, the foxing creating a pattern of decay, a subtle subversion of the text's intended permanence. The aging paper and faded ink challenge our interpretation of the document. Is it a simple record of naval correspondence, or does it invite us to consider the temporal nature of communication? Perhaps it questions the power structures embedded within its formal design. Consider the interplay between the intended message and the medium. The letter becomes an artifact, its semiotic function extended beyond its original communicative purpose, allowing for ongoing readings of history, authority, and decay.