Siam in foreign eyes, 150 years on
John Thomson's wonderful images of old Bangkok go on view at the National Gallery
SCOTTISH PHOTOGRAPHER John Thomson (1837-1921) was 25 years old when he travelled to the Far East in the mid-1900s, joining the mere handful of pioneer Westerners documenting the people and landscapes here.
He came to Siam in 1865 and was the first photographer allowed to take pictures of the royal court, coming away with memorable portraits of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and the teenage Crown Prince Chulalongkorn (the future Rama V).
Thomson’s rarely seen images of Siam from that era, along with his pictures of Angkor Wat and coastal China, are on display at the National Gallery on Chao Fah Road in the exhibition “Siam through the Eyes of John Thompson (1865-1866)”. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will officially open the show tomorrow at 3pm.
Marking the 150th anniversary of Thomson’s visit, co-curators MR Narisa Chakabongse and Paisarn Piammettawat, backed by the Culture Ministry, have mounted the largest exhibition of Thomson’s photographs ever seen in this country.
There are 60 photographs developed by the Wellcome Institute in London using the original glass-plate negatives.
The detail is spectacular in both the portraits of the royal family and venerable Siamese traditions like the Royal Barge Procession, captured in all its vivid, costumed elegance. The way of life along the Chao Phraya River is lovingly depicted, and it’s astonishing to see Bangkok as it was before the modern skyscrapers crowded in. The landscape and architecture of Ayutthaya and Petchaburi are also included, as are photos that Thomson took later in Cambodia and China.
The photographs are of tremendous aesthetic and historical value, as Pisarn makes clear in the book he wrote to accompany the exhibition, which explains the story behind each photograph.
THE WAY IT WAS
“Siam through the Eyes of John Thomson (1865-1866)” continues through February 28 at the National Gallery, open Wednesday through Sunday from 9am to 4pm.
The book costs Bt900 during the show and Bt950 afterward.
Find out more at (02) 282 2639.
