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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand

Volume XVI-2024 (Special Issue)

The core of this article examines these two sets of photographs of Nora performers

and performances in the contexts of the Thai monarchs who arranged for their creation and
preservation and early 20 century Siam.
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2. Nora Photographs During the Reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V)
2.1 King Chulalongkorn’s Travels and Photographic Pursuits

King Mongkut (King Rama IV, r. 1851-1868) often traveled to distant places, whether
far from the Bangkok capital in Siam or to foreign countries, and this royal pastime was taken up
by his son, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

Their travels ranged from private trips, known as sadet phrapas ton (trips incognito),
about which no prior announcements were made, which allowed the monarch to observe
the true conditions of his people, to formal state visits, with detailed itineraries and grand
ceremonies prepared by local officials.
Each trip, whether private or official, domestic or international, received careful

documentation via records and journals on various aspects of the trips. These documents took
various forms:
● Announcements in the Royal Gazette to inform the public of the king’s travels.

● Written journals or travelogues recorded by royal family members or government
officials who accompanied the king.
● Personal royal chronicles called “journals” which the king himself wrote during
each day of his travels.
● Royal correspondence addressed to specific princes or to the Council of Regents,

who were appointed to oversee state affairs during the king’s absence.
● Photographs capturing the moments of the king’s travels.
Among these daily records from both King Rama IV and Rama V, there is some

Nora-related evidence, including, for both, written descriptions and, for King Rama V, royal
photographs. Notably, on King Rama V’s 1905 visit to the Malay Peninsula, he addressed a letter
to the Crown Prince, who presided over the Council of Regents. At that time, the Crown Prince,
later King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), held the title of Siamese Crown Prince. He chaired the council,
which consisted of senior royals and officials appointed to maintain order during the king’s absence.

The handwritten royal correspondence narrating King Chulalongkorn’s visit on this
occasion comprise six letters in total. The fifth letter was composed in Nakhon Si Thammarat
and dated July 7, 1905. During his visit to Nakhon Si Thammarat, King Chulalongkorn mentioned

the funeral of Chao Chom Manda Noi Yai (d. 1905), the consort of King Rama III (r. 1824-1851).
The funeral included four related photographs: an image of the funeral pavilion, the coffin,
the cremation pyre, and the reliquary urn containing the ashes and remains.
King Chulalongkorn noted the following in his writings on this event, “This funeral
consisted only of merit-making activities, with no entertainment. It seemed that the people

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