Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows Siam booth displayed at the St. Louis World's Fair, an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows a part of motor show held in 1905 in the reign of King Rama V. All (but 1) of the female shown are related to the King (wives, step mothers).

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘S. Phormma's Colorizations’ shows young female royalty (wives and daughters of King Rama V) with cameras, a new kind of toy in Siam, in 1897.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows Ratchaworadit palace compound in the reign of King Rama V.

Ratchaworadit used to be one of the palace compound in the reign of King Rama IV (1851 – 1868). It was located on the west side of the Grand Palace and close to the Chao Phraya River. Thus, it also served as the royal pier. The compound was deteriorated around the end of King Rama V (1868 – 1910)’s reign. Most of the small palaces were demolished except one and this area has become Ratchaworadit pier nowadays.

Now…

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘S. Phormma's Colorizations’ shows the Queen Mother (King Rama V’s Supreme Consort) at the Royal Coronation of her son, King Rama VI, in 1911.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Sebastian Peet’ shows the young future King Rama VII (1925 – 1935) posted on the occasion of the Royal Top-knot Removing Ceremony.

The colorized B&W photo, taken around 60-70 years ago, courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows an advertising prop made by Chia Tai’s seed business which is now a part of the renowned CP Group.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘S. Phormma's Colorizations’ shows the traditional funeral of a member of Chiangmai royalty in 1935.

The colorized B&W photo (shot in 1916) courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows the temporary throne hall built, on the west side of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, for King Rama VI to perform the Royal ‘house warming ceremony’ and that is The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.

During King Rama V's reign, Luang (noble rank given by the king) Sathon Racha Yut (name given by the king), a wealthy businessman, was commissioned in 1892 to dig the canal linking Khlong Thanon Trong (now Rama IV Road) with the Chao Phraya River at a side of Wat Yannawa, Bang Rak. The canal was 3.2 km long. The name of the klong is Klong Sathorn being derived from Luang Sathon Racha Yut, the honour title received by the King for his good deed developing the city.

Luang Sathon Racha Yut dug the Klong passing through the untidy area between Si Lom and Ban Wai Roads. He took the soil from the canal to fill for the road construction on both sides of the Klong.

Subsequently, he received the rights for the adjacent land along both sides of the Klong. He then developed and divided the land into plots and sold to noblemen, foreigners, and wealthy people. This was regarded as the first land development project in Siam/Thailand.

In the old days, the lands along both sides were occupied by beautiful mansions, decorated with many kinds of big trees, such as sea almond, rain trees, and mangos.

The water in the Klong was clear and clean. Children often loved to swim in it. From here and there, double-rope-bridges were built for crossing over.

After Taksin Bridge construction finished in 1982, the big trees were removed and Sathon Road was enlarged, narrowing the canal.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows King Rama VI (1910 – 1925) and one of his Consorts posted on their wedding day.

Prueng Sucharitakul (1895 – 1982) was a commoner who had presented herself first serving King Rama VI’s Queen mother. When she was 26 years old, the King had requested her marriage from her father. The gracious Royal Wedding Ceremony in western style was held on 27 October 1921. She was considered the first ordinary woman to join the royal matrimony and also the first time that the marriage registration was made.

Sadly, she, later on, fell out of the King’s favour and was demoted to become the King’s high concubine. Her then position was replaced by her younger sister, who finally became His, temporary, Queen (the one who also fell out of His favour because of her many miscarriages).

Wat Phra Singh is said to be built in 1345 by the fifth king of the Mangrai Dynasty. Now the location is in the western part of the old city of Chiang Mai.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘S. Phormma's Colorizations’ shows the Wat that was taken in 1920. Of two people in the photo, on the right was Prince Boworadet (2 April 1877 – 16 November 1953) who was a Thai attempted-coup leader in 1933, so-called the Boworadet rebellion. It was a result of the conflicts between the previous royalist regime (those loyal to the Chakri Dynasty) and the succeeding constitutional regime led by Khana Ratsadon ('People's Party'). The Boworadet rebellion was eventually defeated by the Siamese Government.

On the left was George Wylie Paul Hunt, the first Governor of Arizona, USA.

Tai Yai also known as Shan are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. They are the biggest minority group in Myanmar, making up about 10% of the population. The estimation of the number of Tai Yai people in Myanmar ranges from 4 to 6 million. Most of them live in Shan State, which is the biggest state in the country.

A large number of Tai Yai also inhabits Thailand. They are also known as Ngio or Ngiauw in Tai yuan language.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Sebastian Peet’ shows a group of Tai Yai royalty posting, in Delhi Durbar, on the ceremony of Prince Albert Edward becoming King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India and, in an innovation, King of the British Dominions.

Wat Phra Si Mahathat is located in Bang Khen field (district, nowadays). The construction was completed in 1942. The Wat would be the first one that was built by the state, after the introduction of democracy following the Siamese Revolution of 1932. The location of the Wat was close to the site of the battle between the government led by the Khana Ratsadon (People's Party) and royalists under Prince Boworadet in 1933.

The Wat is significant as to: "Not only for the government to ideologically proclaim their victory over the conservative royalists, but also to symbolize the efforts by the People’s Party to shape the political landscape of the country."

The colorized B&W photo which was originally taken by Peter Williams-Hunt is courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’.

Taken in 2019

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows the Royal Casket of King Rama V (1868 – 1910) at Dusit Palace.

Originally Posted by nathanielnong

The water in the Klong was clear and clean. Children often loved to swim in it.

My Mrs says she used to swim in the nearby klong in the early 80s and says it was clean, i give her a suspicious look....i suppose clean is relative

Originally Posted by malmomike77

My Mrs says she used to swim in the nearby klong in the early 80s and says it was clean, i give her a suspicious look....i suppose clean is relative

I suppose so. All the klong has been bad and smelly since the 60s...

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘S. Phormma's Colorizations’ shows King Rama V (1868 – 1910) playing croquet with the royalty and noblemen.

The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma. It was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian laborers impressed or recruited by the Japanese and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese, to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War II.

Anyway, after the War, the laborers were changed vice versa as seen in the colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ which shows the prisoners of war who were now the Japanese.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Sebastian Peet’ shows a noblewoman (1879 – 1938) born a daughter of the ruler of, now, Ubon Ratchathani Province (a vassal state of Siam at that time). She was married to a prince, one of King Rama IV’s sons.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows inside a department store in Bangkok named M. Cacace & Co., Ltd. on Charoenkrung Road (New Road) in the reign of King Rama V (early 1900s). It was owned by the Italian.

The last time, it was the photo of young female royalties. This time, it shows (very) young male royalties with cameras, the new toy in the reign of King Rama V. The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Phawnpol Rakboonyuang’.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows the Royal Coronation of King Rama IX in 1950.

Tae Krajad Festival is one of the major festivals holding every year on the 7th Chinese month which falls around September. This festival will have many Chinese people come to perform merit making for the spirits/ghosts who once after being dead getting no attention from their relatives. The festival is said to be very sacred.

The colorized B&W photo courtesy of ‘Page Siam Colorization by Noomrattana’ shows the festival holding in 1948 at Wat Phanan Choeng, Ayuthaya Province.