A Collection of Cabinet Cards of Prince Prisdang Chumsai and Members of the Thai Royal Family Circa 1882.

A collection of 4 sepia toned cabinet cards.


Three of the cards have gilt edges with the imprint of Alexander Bassano's studio in Old Bond Street, London and with neat handwritten comments by Prince Prisdang the son of King Rama IV and half-brother of Rama V, on the reverse and dated June 20th 1882. He has named and annotated the photographs: The present King of Siam: The Present Queen of Siam and the Crown Prince of Siam.

The single photograph shows princes of the Siamese (now Thai) Thai Chakri Dynasty, in the late 19th century. The Chakri dynasty continues as the current royal family of Thailand.

The image shows a group of young Thai royals in European clothing with a European man who appears in the role of a teacher or mentor with his dog at his feet (possibly the Reverend Pickford to whom the photograph belonged) and probably taken during the boys' education in Britain. The address and name of the photography studio of John White is on the reverse and lower front edge. John White cabinet cards from the 1880s and1890s give the Ipswich address simply as 18 Brook Street as these do. White's business details are set in an elaborate floral design with a tiny stamp on the lower edge 'Marion Imp. Paris.' indicating that it was printed sometime in the 1880s.

Prince Prisdang, who has annotated and signed three of the cards, was an extraordinary character. A trained engineer he rose to the highest levels of Siamese government during King Rama V's reign. His was appointed the Kingdom's first permanent diplomat to Europe, serving as ambassador to at least 10 countries. By 1885 his influence was such that the King asked his advice as to how to stop the colonialization of Siam by western powers. Prince Prisdang, with enormous foresight, advised the King to westernise and to reform the state by instituting a constitutional monarchy thereby demonstrating how advanced and "civilised" the Kingdom of Siam was. Although initially lauded for this advice, within only a few years rumours were rife and Prince Prisdang had to flee the country. His relationship with the king was forever damaged and although he tried to return, he was not to reside in Siam again until after the death of the King in 1911.

From the reign of King Mongkut or Rama IV, the Siamese royal family used photography actively as a form of what today we call PR, in the exceedingly difficult task of keeping western powers at bay. Siam unlike other countries in Asia managed this tightrope walk very well and was never colonised.

(Bones Around My Neck: The Life and Exile of a Prince Provocateur - Tamara Loos; Photography in Southeast Asia. A Survey. - Zhuang Wubin).

Provenance: From the collection of Arthur Hacker, Hong Kong historian, artist and collector.