Thailand/ Laos: A forest fire on the banks of the Mun River—a tributary of the Mekong—as witnessed by French expeditioner and artist Louis Delaporte in 1867.

This illustration by Louis Delaporte is one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants. In this 1867 drawing of a fire caused by expeditioners trying to ward off wild animals, the Mun River is estimated by the artist at 18 m in height and 120 to 150 m wide. Nowadays, the controversial Pak Mun Dam stands close to this very site.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Credit:

Pictures From History