Briefkaart aan Jan Veth Possibly 1885

This is a postcard, sent by Jac van Looij from Venice to Jan Veth in Dordrecht, Netherlands, in 1908. It's made of thin card stock, commercially printed with the Italian postal insignia and space for a message. But of course, the real interest is the handwriting, in dark ink. The act of sending this card speaks to a particular moment in history, when mass communication was becoming widely available but still possessed a personal touch. Unlike a digital message, this card involved physical labor – the harvesting of raw materials, the pulping of paper, the printing process, and the actual delivery. All that just to send a quick greeting! Van Looij's handwriting, looping and elegant, contrasts with the blocky, standardized typeface of the printed elements. The stamps and postmarks, too, mark the card with the signs of its journey. Although seemingly a mundane object, this postcard encapsulates the intersection of industrial production and intimate human connection. It encourages us to consider the sheer amount of work, often invisible, that goes into even the simplest forms of communication.