Brief aan Jan Hendrik Maschaupt 1836 - 1881

This letter to Jan Hendrik Maschaupt, penned by Adolphe Mouilleron, uses paper and ink – humble materials, yet laden with social significance. The paper itself, likely mass-produced, speaks to the industrialization of communication. The ink, carefully applied, forms elegant script, evidence of literacy and education. The act of writing, in a pre-digital age, highlights the labour involved in conveying even a simple message, sent from the Brack's Doelen Hotel in Amsterdam. Consider the time taken, not just to form the letters, but to source the materials, and the journey the letter would undertake to reach its recipient. This contrasts sharply with our instantaneous digital exchanges. This letter, in its physicality, reminds us of a slower, more deliberate era, where communication was a tangible and valued commodity, hinting at class and commerce in 19th-century Europe. It is a reminder that even the simplest forms of making are deeply embedded in social and economic contexts.