Siam's earliest official photographs

Rama V

All across the Kingdom this year Thai people and foreign residents alike are collectively celebrating a very special year, for it is the sixtieth anniversary of the accession to the throne of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and a very special King he is too.

Since the day he was thrust unexpectedly into the title of Rama IX in 1946, he has set an extraordinary example to his subjects. For the past sixty years he has gained respect locally and abroad for his unceasing efforts to improve the lives of the people of Thailand. Over the years he has systematically applied his energy, knowledge and resources to provide solutions to the poor, the environment and the country as a whole. Not only is he a monarch but an accomplished musician and respected scientist, a wise leader and humble learner, a family man and a keen photographer. Indeed there are few pictures of His Majesty that don't include his trusty camera hanging from his neck, as he documents all the subjects and people he intends to help.

It is quite fitting therefore that an important, hitherto unseen, collection of royal pictures should be displayed in Bangkok and Chiang Mai to commemorate this great event. Three generations before, in the time of His Majesty's great-grandfather, King Mongkut (Rama IV), photography of the royals was forbidden. Back then, in the 1860s, the camera was a relatively new invention and many Siamese believed that it could capture their soul. However, King Mongkut was a forward-thinking monarch and eager for Siam to benefit from the many useful inventions that were arriving with the European traders of the time. Rama IV never left Siam but, at a time when colonialism was on the march and the Age of Discovery into its third century, he managed to introduce the splendour of Siam to the world through these photographs.

Thus it was that two photographers, Khun Soondr Sadis Lacks (better known as Francis Chit) and William Kennet Loftus were appointed to the court. They were entrusted with capturing the grandeur and ceremony of the Siamese court in action, as well as revealing Siam's astonishing legacy of cultural heritage, costume and architecture to the world. This included the childhood times of one of Thailand's greatest Kings, Chulalongkorn or Rama V.

These images were some of the few to record Siam in the mid-nineteenth century, including some rare ceremonies and temporary royal structures that have since been lost in time. Unfortunately the images themselves were lost to historians as they were dispersed to the Russian Tsar and other people intrigued with this Asian empire. Only recently did they re-emerge, acquired and made public by Ton Peek Photography in the Netherlands,. Under the guidance of Thanphuying Putrie Viravaidya, Deputy Principal Private Secretary to His Majesty, this collection has been brought to Thailand and extensively researched to add a whole new dimension to the Thailand's Nineteenth century history.

A set of postcards have been etched from the photographs and the originals have were made available for public display by the generous sponsorship of the Conrad Hotel in Bangkok, and Domi Duca in Chiang Mai. A limited edition printing of the postcards will on sale at the exhibition and also Pictory gallery at JJ market.

Francis Chit and William Kennet Loftus

These two gracious men, one Thai and the other English, were entrusted by King Rama IV and Rama V to document and record on film, Siam in the mid-Nineteenth century. Until then no Royal court appointed photographer existed and the art of photography was virtually unknown in the Kingdom. To be captured on film, as these new inventions could miraculously do, was feared by the Siamese. However, that changed when the king, realising that the world needed to see Siam in all its pomp and glory, allowed these two men to photograph the Royal family and their ceremonies for everyone to see.

Francis Chit is the adopted English name of Khun Soondr Sadis Lacks, one of the first Thais to learn the new art of photography. He was taught by French missionaries and worked under both Rama IV and Rama V. Here in these pictures, stamped with his personal seal, he has preserved the memory of ceremonies and temples associated with the Chao Phraya River and caught some rare moments on film, such as the tonsure or Royal top knot hair cutting ceremony undertaken by children in the Palace. Chit also set up a successful business in Bangkok in the latter part of the century, publishing panoramas of the city until his death in 1891, aged 71.

Less is known about Englishman William Kennet Loftus, who focused on the unique architecture of Bangkok, such as the grandiose government buildings of the time. He also had a keen eye for documenting the Western influences as adopted by the Siamese at the time. Many of his photos in this exhibition carry personal notes and annotations regarding the subjects. He also established a photography shop in Bangkok which became popular among the elite who soon considered family portraits to be an important wealth symbol.