Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1901 - 1928

Curator: This "Brief aan Philip Zilcken" by Jan Toorop, possibly from the early 1900s, is interesting, especially when we consider the material history of such correspondence. Editor: It's just a letter, rendered in ink. What is there to discover? Curator: Precisely! It's tempting to see it solely for its informational content, but what if we consider the socio-economic context of its creation and reception? This isn't a typed memo. It’s handwriting with specific materials, wasn’t it? Editor: Right, pen and ink. What does that tell us? Curator: Think about the production of ink and paper at the time. Where would Toorop acquire these materials? How might their cost or availability have impacted the letter's creation? Also, what does the act of handwriting itself—the labor involved—tell us about the relationship between Toorop and Zilcken? Was this a task done out of intimacy? Editor: That is definitely true, especially because typing could have reduced the amount of time required to compose the letter. Curator: Indeed! And consider the role of postal systems at the time. How did this letter travel, and what labor was involved in its delivery? Letters are cultural goods and its interesting to study their method and creation to unveil a message. Editor: It does change the way I see it. Before, I just saw the information, and how it communicated that, but I can see that there is so much that lies in the materiality of the work and the historical processes behind the final object. Curator: Exactly! It opens a door to understanding not just the message, but the entire network of social and material relations in which Toorop was operating.