Kwitantie voor Johan Philip van der Kellen Possibly 1889

This handwritten receipt was made by Henri Wouters on November 22nd, 1899. It acknowledges payment from the director of the Rijksmuseum's print cabinet in Amsterdam. It gives us insight into the workings of a national museum at the turn of the century. Such institutions, like the Rijksmuseum, were central to defining national identity and cultural heritage. This document subtly reveals the economic realities behind art acquisition and the relationships between artists and institutions. What were the standard fees for artworks at the time? How did museums decide what to collect? By consulting archives, financial records, and correspondence, historians can reconstruct the complex networks that supported artistic production and shaped the public's access to art. Receipts like this are valuable primary sources that shed light on the institutional framework within which art is created, collected, and displayed.