Visitekaartje aan Philip Zilcken 1861 - 1925

Editor: So, we have here a visiting card addressed to Philip Zilcken, made sometime between 1861 and 1925 by Léon Victor Auguste Bourgeois. It's a print, presumably on paper, with some lovely typography. It seems so simple, yet elegant. What jumps out at you when you see this? Curator: The simplicity itself is quite compelling, isn't it? Think about the social context for this small object. It’s a calling card; an instrument of social exchange. What material practices had to be in place to make a small printed card like this circulate through society? Editor: Material practices? You mean like, printing presses and paper mills? Curator: Exactly! Consider the labour involved. Someone designed the typeface, someone engraved the printing plate, someone else operated the press, and then think about the systems that got it delivered. It suggests a network of making and exchange, each a process and transaction contributing to the social life of the time. Editor: So, you're saying this little card isn't just a greeting, but a snapshot of the era's industrial capacity and labor structures? Curator: Precisely. The elegance you mention is born of those material conditions. The rise of a middle class eager to participate in social circles made this almost a commodity. Editor: It's amazing to think about all the industry tied up in such a small piece of paper. Curator: Absolutely, and how that industrial structure in turn defined social behavior. Editor: I will definitely never look at business cards the same way. Thank you!