The Royal Collection holds almost 35,427 glass plate negatives and 50,000 prints, covering a long and continuous period from 1855-1935, Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat announced on Wednesday night. The collection was previously preserved in three separate royal libraries of the original owners - King Chulalongkorn, King Vajiravudh and Prince Damrongrajanubhab, King Monkut’s son. In 1977, they were given over to the care of the National Archive in Bangkok. To date, 24,800 plates have been scanned for digital use, and 4,149 plates have been included in the national database. The Unesco website trumpets the Collection for documenting the important transformations underway in Siam at a time of massive worldwide change.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 07, 2017 09:12 UTC