Visitekaartje aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1904 - 1914

Here is Pierre Pinet’s calling card to Philip Zilcken. Its creation invites us to consider the late 19th-century European society in which it was created. The handwritten note, inscribed with elegant script, reveals a network of personal connections and social standing. "Ancien adjoint au maire" tells us Pinet was a former deputy mayor; a position of local authority that speaks to Pinet’s place in the community. We also find a personal connection, written in the Provençal dialect of Southern France. The card hints at a regional identity, a sense of belonging to a specific cultural and linguistic community. The act of exchanging calling cards was a ritual steeped in social etiquette, a means of introduction, and a marker of status. It’s easy to imagine the meeting of minds and artistic exchanges that might have occurred between Pinet and Zilcken. The card captures a moment of human connection.