Passengers on board the ships plying the passage between the Netherlands and the Indies, which took weeks, needed to be entertained, of course. Often, there was a swimming pool, while in the evenings, plays were staged or music was performed. This photo shows the passengers – both white and Eurasians – on board the Marnix van Sint Aldegonde in 1934 on their way from the Indies to the Netherlands, dressed up for a masked ball. There are clowns and sailors; some passengers have dressed up as captains while others are in Chinese-style dress.
Fancy-dress party on board the passenger ship Marnix van Sint Aldegonde of the Netherlands Steamship Company (Stoomvaart Maatschappij ‘Nederland’) heading for the Netherlands, 1934. [KITLV 85486]