Telegram met gelukwensen, 1928 1928

This telegram, made in 1928 by the PTT, is a symphony of bureaucratic gestures, isn't it? Look at that ordered script marching across the page, the dates and numbers all regimented into their boxes. I imagine the person who made this – some postal worker – carefully inking each letter, each line a small act of precision. There's something about the way the words are laid out—a sense of controlled communication. It’s like a painting where the artist has to obey the canvas's rules, but still sneaks in a little personal flourish. The stamp, the smudges—these are like the happy accidents in a painting, the moments where the material asserts itself. And what about the message itself, "hartelyke gelukwenschen"? Heartfelt congratulations, squeezed into the rigid form. It’s a reminder that even within constraints, human connection finds a way. It reminds me that art and communication have been in conversation for centuries.