Paardenkar met daarop een krat met een nieuwe motor voor de Fokker F.VII (H-NACC) 1924

This photograph shows a horse-drawn cart carrying a crated engine for a Fokker F.VII airplane. The materials are modest – timber for the crate and cart, metal for the engine within. While the engine represents the marvels of machine production, the cart is of another era. You can see the rough-hewn planks of the platform, the wooden wheels. This contrast highlights the distance between the high-flying world of aviation and the slow rhythms of the ground. The sheer size of the crate suggests the immense amount of labour and materials required to keep the plane in the air. It speaks of global trade routes, distribution networks, and the skilled labour involved in crafting, transporting, and assembling the engine. The branded crate, destined for Passau and Vienna, reveals a world of commerce, connecting disparate regions and economies. Photographs like this remind us that even the most innovative technologies rely on the labour and resources of many hands.