Honorary Medal of the Calcutta International Exhibition Awarded to J.G.Th. van Motman, Dramaga Plantaton (Buitenzorg, Dutch East Indies) for Tea 1883

This medal was anonymously struck to commemorate the Calcutta International Exhibition and award J.G.Th. van Motman of the Dramaga Plantation in Buitenzorg, now Bogor in Indonesia, for tea. The medal reveals much about the social and economic structures of the late 19th century. The Calcutta International Exhibition of 1883-84 was one of many World's Fairs which promoted trade and celebrated technological advances, but it also showcased colonial power. The medal features an effigy of Queen Victoria, Empress of India, a reminder of British imperial reach. Awarded to a tea plantation in the Dutch East Indies, it speaks to the global trade networks established through colonial exploitation. To fully understand this object, we might consult historical records of the Calcutta International Exhibition, company archives relating to the Dramaga Plantation, or studies of colonial trade. Ultimately, the meaning of this medal lies in its embodiment of social and institutional histories.