Thailand and the United States, 1818‒2018

In 2016, the population was estimated at well over 9 million.

It tells of a meeting between a Siamese prince and an American sea captain who had arrived in Bangkok to trade for sugar.

The Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the Kingdom of Siam and the United States of America was ratified in 1836.

For many centuries, the elephant has played an important part in the Southeast Asian nation’s culture. The country’s national symbol, the elephant is honoured for its strength and long life. The rare white elephant is a symbol of royalty and appeared on the Siamese flag from 1855-1916.

In 1862, President Lincoln politely declined the king’s offer. He thought the U.S. climate would not “favor the multiplication of the elephant.” King Mongkut’s generous offer and President Lincoln’s kind reply reflect the friendly spirit that existed between the two nations from an early time.

Nielloware objects have engraved designs filled with a black compound of sulphur with silver, lead, or copper. Following the signing of the Harris Treaty in 1856, King Mongkut presented a set of gold nielloware to U.S. President Franklin Pierce. The gift served as an invitation to the court of Siam.

Japanese-style swords were symbols of power used as regalia in the Siamese court. They show that Siam welcomed some influences from its neighbours, including Japan. This sword, with its satinwood scabbard, was another gift from King Mongkut to President Franklin Pierce made in 1856.

This portrait of President Franklin Pierce was a gift from the president to King Pinklao. Pierce was the 14th president of the United States. Pinklao became “Second King” to his older brother, King Mongkut, in 1851. Both Pierce and Pinklao were experienced military leaders before they came to power.

This portrait of President George Washington is probably a copy made by Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) of an original painting Peale made that has hung in the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House. President Franklin Pierce gave it as a gift to Second King Pinklao in 1856.

This photograph shows Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1853–1910), 9th son of King Mongkut and 5th monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. Like all the Siamese kings before him, Chulalongkorn strove to prevent Siam from being colonized, in part by maintaining friendly relations with the United States.

Celebrating the U.S. Centennial, the exposition held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876, was the first event of its kind in America. Siam’s display included nielloware, textiles, masks, puppets, and musical instruments and provided Americans with a fascinating window to the world of Siam.

To the 1893 exposition held in Chicago, Illinois, Siam’s Queen Savang Vadhana sent “a special delegate . . . to learn what educational and industrial advantages are open to women in other countries, so that Siam may adopt such measures as will elevate the condition of her women.”

The Siamese royal family took an active interest in curating the displays for international expositions. For the 1904 exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, they commissioned a large-scale model temple to serve as exhibition space, briefly transporting visitors to the Buddhist kingdom.

At the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California, the Siam Pavilion held beautifully ornamented niello and lacquer objects that showed the skill of the Asian nation’s artisans. Everyday objects such as baskets, fish traps, and tools conveyed a sense of daily life.

This edition of Time magazine appeared on 20 April 1931. English and British monarchs have born the title “Defender of the Faith” as heads of the Church of England. Thai monarchs also vow to defend their faith—Buddhism, not Christianity.

This photograph was taken at Yankee Stadium during the New York leg of King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambhai Barni’s tour. Standing in the centre of the picture is Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players in history. To the right of the queen is famed aviator Amelia Earhart.

During the state visit, King Prajadhipok met with President Herbert Hoover (1895-1972), to whom the king gave a traditional silver niello bowl with gold trim. Following the visit, Hoover noted that it had “forged more strongly the bonds of traditional friendship uniting Siam and the United States.”

King Prajadhipok gave this enamel portrait of himself to First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. Long before, King Mongkut, had embraced the Western tradition of royal portraiture. Beginning in the reign of King Chulalongkorn, royal portraits commonly featured the king in Western-style military attire.

Here, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit are greeted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969). Later they were welcomed by the whole country with a ticker tape parade through Manhattan.

During his first state visit, King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave 10 traditional Thai instruments to the Library of Congress. Included in the gift were cymbals, hand drums, flutes, fiddles, and a zither. The king himself played piano and clarinet, composed songs, and was passionate about American jazz.

King Chulalongkorn established the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri in 1882. During the 1960 state visit, King Bhumibol Adulyadej bestowed the distinction on President Eisenhower, the only U.S. leader to receive it.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit made another state visit to the U.S. in 1967. Here the king meets with President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973). The year before, Johnson had become the first sitting U.S. chief executive to visit Thailand.

Objects made of organic materials can be delicate. This woven reed mat given by King Chulalongkorn to the Smithsonian Institution in 1904 developed a tear due to the fragility of the century-old plant fibres. Conservation corrected the damage and gave the mat a longer life.

Thai kings and queens have continued to give nielloware objects as diplomatic gifts. This turtle and tray given by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to the grandson of President Lyndon Johnson in 1967, is whimsical and has a modern flair.

Queen Sirikit often gave purses made using traditional techniques to first ladies of the United States. Thai craftspeople had mostly stopped using the vine from which this purse is made, and the queen created workshops specially to keep its use and the difficult method of weaving it alive. 

Thailand has long produced fine textiles, so objects made from cloth have regularly been included among gifts to U.S. presidents and first ladies. This jacket, given to First Lady Rosalynn Carter in 1980, is made from Thai silk and silk brocade.