Bord ter herinnering aan de eerste vlucht door de KLM van Amsterdam naar Batavia op 24 november 1924 1925

This commemorative plate was made by De Porceleijne Fles to mark the first KLM flight from Amsterdam to Batavia in November 1924. It is painted in Delftware blue and white and features an airplane soaring above the clouds. The plate commemorates a pivotal moment in Dutch colonial history, when air travel connected the Netherlands to its colony, the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Consider how the romance of aviation is intertwined with the realities of colonial power. The flight, a feat of engineering, also served to tighten the bonds of colonial rule. The imagery evokes both progress and control, reflecting the complex relationship between colonizer and colonized. It's a reminder of how technology can be both a symbol of advancement and a tool of domination. The emotional impact of this plate lies in its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era, while simultaneously prompting reflection on its complex legacy.