00:00John Thomson was the first Western photographer to capture Siamt, now Thailand on camera.
00:06Living Mihai rare images that revealed the kingdom as it was over 150 years ago.
00:12In 1865, the Scottish photographer arrived in Bangkok.
00:16He photographed King Mongkut in royal regalia, temples and palaces, monks, dancers, and everyday
00:22life along the Chao Paya.
00:24His images are among the earliest visual records of Thailand.
00:28Before Thomson, Siamt was known abroad mostly through sketches and traveller's tales.
00:34These images were later published in his 1875 book, The Straits of Malacca, Indochina, and China.
00:41For European audiences, they offered the first realistic glimpse of Siamt.
00:45This work is now considered a private archive, reserving 19th century Siamt faces, retorts
00:52and architecture for both Thailand and the wider world.
Comments