The Jim Thompson Story
August 8th 2007 08:32
Many people come to Thailand, fall in love with it and never leave. Jim Thompson was one of these people. Born in Delaware, USA in 1906, Thompson worked as an architect until World War II, when he volunteered for service and was sent to European theatre. Towards the end of the war he was posted to Bangkok, where he worked in military intelligence for the O.S.S. After his repatriation and release from the military, he decided to return to Thailand for ever.
The art of silk weaving captured Jim Thompson’s imagination and he set about reving this almost lost cottage craft. Using his own talents as a designer and textile colorist, he contributed a great deal to the manufacture and production process. A skilled marketer and promoter, he won worldwide recognition for Thai silk and turned it into a highly desirable commodity throughout the world. The production of exquisitely designed and produced silks still continues under the Jim Thompson banner today. The main showroom is 9 Surawongse Road in Bangkok but they can be found all over Thailand in prestige boutiques and top-end shops.
Thompson was also famous for his house on the Klong (river) at 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road Bangkok. He dismantled six traditional teak houses representing the best in traditional architecture and had them brought from their original sites, some from as far away as the old capital Ayudhya. In constructing his house he adhered to authentic Thai traditions of building; they were elevated a full story above the ground as had been customary to avoid floods in the rainy season; the roof tiles were fired in Ayudhya using a centuries old design; the outside walls were preserved with rare old red paint. Even the “modern” chandeliers came from 18th and 19th century Bangkok palaces. In 1959 the house was finished. After all the correct traditional religious observances and on an astrologically auspicious day, Jim Thompson moved in. In time, the house and its collection of art and antiques, became such a point interest to Thais and tourists alike, that he opened to the public, with all revenue to be donated to the preservation of Thailand’s cultural heritage.
On March 27, 1967, Jim Thompson disappeared in mysterious circumstances while on holiday in the Cameroon Highlands in Malaysia. The mystery of his disappearance has never been solved. But his beautiful silks and his famous Thai house remain as lasting evidence of his creativity and his love of Thailand
The art of silk weaving captured Jim Thompson’s imagination and he set about reving this almost lost cottage craft. Using his own talents as a designer and textile colorist, he contributed a great deal to the manufacture and production process. A skilled marketer and promoter, he won worldwide recognition for Thai silk and turned it into a highly desirable commodity throughout the world. The production of exquisitely designed and produced silks still continues under the Jim Thompson banner today. The main showroom is 9 Surawongse Road in Bangkok but they can be found all over Thailand in prestige boutiques and top-end shops.
A traditional Thai house
Thompson was also famous for his house on the Klong (river) at 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road Bangkok. He dismantled six traditional teak houses representing the best in traditional architecture and had them brought from their original sites, some from as far away as the old capital Ayudhya. In constructing his house he adhered to authentic Thai traditions of building; they were elevated a full story above the ground as had been customary to avoid floods in the rainy season; the roof tiles were fired in Ayudhya using a centuries old design; the outside walls were preserved with rare old red paint. Even the “modern” chandeliers came from 18th and 19th century Bangkok palaces. In 1959 the house was finished. After all the correct traditional religious observances and on an astrologically auspicious day, Jim Thompson moved in. In time, the house and its collection of art and antiques, became such a point interest to Thais and tourists alike, that he opened to the public, with all revenue to be donated to the preservation of Thailand’s cultural heritage.
On March 27, 1967, Jim Thompson disappeared in mysterious circumstances while on holiday in the Cameroon Highlands in Malaysia. The mystery of his disappearance has never been solved. But his beautiful silks and his famous Thai house remain as lasting evidence of his creativity and his love of Thailand
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