That era has now been brought to life again in a book Bangkok: Then And Now, by Steve Van Beek, which shows the city during a time of change.
As these amazing pictures show, Bangkok 100 years ago was a budding metropolis experiencing its first population explosion.
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Siam in the 1900s: In Sampeng Lane, Bangkok, a commercial centre in the old city,
residents of the gem quarter ply their trade, eager for custom on a relatively empty street |
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A floating dock on the Chao Prya river in 1900, constructed for a royal rite of passage known
as 'Teaching the prince how to swim', which symbolised his passage into adolescence |
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Commuters on a tram travel across the city which was just beginning to flourish at the turn of the century |
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Cars were introduced to Bangkok in 1900 - and by 1904, there were around 300 of them on t
he city's newly built roads. Above, a car rally at the time rolls down the royal boulevard |
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Men from a car club in the early 1900s pose with their cars with
the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the background |
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An ornate twin-elephant gate, erected in 1908 at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
The passage welcomed the return on King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910) from a state visit to Europe |
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In 1863, Bangkok's first modern road, New Road, was built in Chinatown - four miles from
the royal family's Grand Palace. The traffic policeman's kiosk in the middle was soon removed
after being struck by one car too many |
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Mourners are also seen at the funeral of the king. They are dressed in 17th
century costumes of Ayutthaya, Siam's former capital |
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Dancers perform Lakhon, a Thai genre of theatre. It depicts an episode
from the Sanskrit classic dance-drama, the Ramakhien - the ancient saga of Rama and Sita |