Brief aan Filippo Tessaro 1854 - 1903

This is a letter written by Herman Johannes Aloysius Maria Schaepman in 1873. But what is the public role of a private letter such as this? Its survival is contingent on the political role of Schaepman, a Dutch priest, politician and poet. The disciplined handwriting speaks to the institutional history of education and the formation of social elites. The letter’s very existence creates meaning through cultural and historical associations, reminding us of a time before instant communication, when letter-writing was an art and a duty. Schaepman was a controversial figure in the Netherlands. As a Catholic priest, he played a key role in the emancipation of Dutch Catholics. His tireless efforts to unite Catholics from all social classes into a single political movement are reflected in his correspondence and his writings. Understanding a letter like this requires research into the social conditions that shaped Schaepman’s world. The historian pieces together fragments of evidence from archives and libraries to reveal the complex interplay between individual lives and wider social forces. We might reflect on how such a personal letter speaks volumes about the social and institutional contexts of its time.