c.1920s Keystone Press Photograph – Moroccan Chiefs’ First Flight in Spain (Seville)

Original Keystone View Company press photograph showing Moroccan chiefs taking their first airplane flight in Seville, Spain, during a diplomatic visit to the King of Spain. The typed caption on the reverse identifies the men as four chiefs of the Moroccan tribes loyal to Spain, who were supporting Spanish forces in the ongoing Rif War (1920–1927).

The caption further specifies that the man seated in the cockpit is the Grand Vizir, Abd el-Kader, photographed during his inaugural aeroplane experience. This photograph not only documents a moment of cultural and political significance but also highlights the use of aviation as a diplomatic gesture in the colonial and military context of North Africa and Spain in the interwar period.

Stamped Keystone View Co., Fleet Street, London on the reverse, confirming its press distribution through one of the major international photo agencies of the early 20th century.

This image is historically significant for its intersection of aviation history, colonial-era diplomacy, and the Rif War, offering researchers and collectors a rare glimpse of political figures encountering aviation for the first time.