Jim Thompson House
Address
Jim Thompson Museum
GPS
13.7492268, 100.52828110716
The Jim Thompson House is a museum in central Bangkok, Thailand, which houses the art collection of American businessman and architect Jim Thompson, as well as the museum designer and former owner.
One may argue that Jim Thompson is the most well-known foreigner in Thai history. One of the most significant art collectors of Southeast Asian items, the entrepreneur, architect, military officer, and at one point even a secret spy practically single-handedly revolutionized the Thai silk industry.
Thompson arrived in Bangkok after WWII’s conclusion and attempted to participate in the restoration of the historic Oriental Hotel. After that failed, he ventured out on his own to create a silk shop, which was a smashing success. He mastered the art of commercialising Thai silk by blending it with industrial weaving techniques. Eventually, he was catering to A-listers and five-star hotels.
Thompson’s masterwork, five reconstructed wooden cottages typical of Ayutthaya, was built in the middle of Bangkok. This was accomplished by dismantling the homes, transporting them down the Chao Phraya River, and then reassembling them in Bangkok, with some minor modifications made by Thompson to make them more suitable for his needs.
The sixth house, the largest one, is an antique weaver’s house from Bangkrua, and it sits on the banks of a canal (khlong) and serves as the family’s main gathering place. His weavers were working on the other side of the canal.
The six buildings that make up the Jim Thompson House now showcase the architect’s extensive collection of Southeast Asian art, which includes:
- Thai and Burmese Buddha statues
- Cambodian carvings
- Blue and white Ming porcelain from China
- Belgian glass
- A dining table owned by King Rama V.
- And of course lots of interesting facts about traditional silk, motifs and the history of weaving.
On Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967, while on a hike in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, Jim Thompson vanished without a trace. There are several urban legends about his abduction, including that he was kidnapped and eaten by a tiger, because the truth of his absence has never been fully explained.
Interestingly enough, as a secret service agent he would have had rigorous survival training, leading some experts to believe that his disappearance was more of a “planned departure.”
Over 500 people helped in the hunt, including police, soldiers, hikers, missionaries, tour guides, and even fortune tellers, but all came up empty-handed.
