Monday 20 June 2011

Dara Rasami: Princess of Chiang Mai and Consort to King Chulalongkorn


Dara Rasami was born in Chiang Mai on August 26, 1873, to King Inthawichayanon and Queen Thipkraisorn Rajadevi. She later became princess consort to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). She played an influential role in shaping the perceptions of Chiang Mai identity within the Siamese palace, and served as both hostage and diplomat for her home kingdom. The following images are from the National Archives of Thailand, Bangkok. I discovered them through the excellent dissertation: A “Foreign”Princess in the Siamese Court: Princess Dara Rasami, the Politics of Gender and Ethnic Difference in Nineteenth-Century Siam, by Leslie Ann Woodhouse. The full text is available for download on Scribd.









1 comment:

  1. Hello,

    I just discovered your blog. Very nice, I like the historical pictures of Thailand and the Thai people. I am looking forward for more.

    Thanks and regards Fred

    ReplyDelete