Museums

Royalty and Religion: Photographs of Late Nineteenth-Century Thailand

From 12 Jan 2014 to 25 May 2014

The Pitt Rivers Museum displays 12 albumen prints taken in the late 19th century in Siam (modern-day Thailand).

The images depict royal buildings, religious sites and streets in the capital Bangkok, as well as a number of portraits of the royal family.

The prints are part of a set of almost 60 relating to Siam, given to the museum in 1924. The provenance of the original collection is uncertain although it is believed that the images were taken during the 1880s.

The photographs' exotic subject matter suggests they were targeted commercially at a colonial audience, while their quality suggests the work of professionals, most likely G. R. Lambert & Co, which promoted themselves in 1881 as "Photographers to H. M. the King of Siam."