Public domain
The Love Letter
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Dutch artists of the 19th century drew inspiration from the 17th century, the Golden Age of Dutch art. In this picture, Van der Kooi reprised a typically 17th-century theme, the delivery of a love letter. The tension between the lady and the young messenger is almost palpable. Yet The Love Letter is also highly contemporary, for the interior, hairstyles and clothing are entirely in keeping with the fashions of 1808.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineDe minnebrief. 1808. Willem Bartel van der Kooi. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.