Hand-coloured postcard woman reading - NPG Berlin nr. 3027, sent Namur 1913

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Hand-coloured photographic postcard depicting a young woman seated in a wicker chair, absorbed in reading a letter. The dress is hand-coloured in mint green and lilac with white dot accents, her hair pinned up in the style of the late Edwardian period. The composition — the reading woman with tilted head, letter in hand — was a favourite motif in the sentimental portrait photography of the Belle Époque. The card is published by NPG (Neue Photographische Gesellschaft) in Berlin under number 3027. The reverse bears a Belgian 1 centime stamp and the Namur postmark, 2 April 1913.

The card was sent by Mariette E. to Mademoiselle Elise Etienne, Grand Rue in Gembloux — probably a sister or cousin, given the shared surname. The message space is entirely blank: Mariette wrote nothing. The image of the reading woman was the message itself, sent from one young woman to another, in silence.