KLM-bemanning voor de 'Pelikaan' c. 1933 - 1935

Curator: This arresting photographic print is entitled "KLM-bemanning voor de 'Pelikaan'" - KLM Crew for the Pelican, created anonymously around 1933-1935. It resides here in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: Wow, a time capsule. You get such a stoic, wind-in-your-face kind of vibe, doesn't it? It feels like just before a grand adventure. Or, perhaps, just after. Curator: Precisely! It's so emblematic of the period, capturing the adventurous spirit and the emerging industry of air travel in the interwar years. The “Pelican” refers to the Lockheed Electra aircraft operated by KLM, crucial for early long-distance mail routes. Editor: I can almost smell the oil and feel the chill. Four gents, buttoned up in their long coats, those caps... they all have these knowing half-smiles, secrets shared. It almost has this propaganda poster quality, all these brave individuals on a big task, a moment suspended in time. Curator: Consider how these early aviation photographs became vital marketing tools for KLM. This imagery created an alluring narrative. The public awareness was really being built and maintained around their pioneering efforts. Notice the inclusion of “Royal Mail” painted onto the aircraft! Editor: The plane feels almost like a living thing looming over them, this metallic bird promising passage to some distant, exotic shore, promising communication with a loved one perhaps. And I keep coming back to the composition. I almost imagine these pilots are characters about to embark in an Art Deco, film noir style adventure, each smoking contemplatively, ready for takeoff in a heroic flight of ambition. Curator: Yes! A lot was being expressed. These pictures became less about documenting an event, and more about molding public perceptions. Editor: In retrospect, such calculated portrayals seem incredibly old-fashioned. The sense of 'duty' hangs thick. But, boy, does it still fire up the imagination! They sure made history sexy back then. Curator: Indeed. Reflecting upon it now, we are able to better consider the intent behind the image, and it allows us a window into the relationship of media and its intended audience. Editor: Such an exciting early depiction, which makes me yearn for the adventure of air mail with all its perceived promises and danger.