• Jim Thompson was born in Greenville, Delaware in 1906. He attended Princeton University from 1924 to 1928. Thompson chose to become an architect and went on to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a practicing architect in New York City until 1940.
• During the Second World War, Thompson was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). However the war ended abruptly as Thompson and the other OSS men were en route to Bangkok. He began to seriously contemplate settling down and going into business in Thailand.
• Soon after his return to Bangkok, Thompson turned his attention to Thai silk. With his natural flair for design and color, and driven by his single-minded dedication to reviving the craft, Thompson soon gained worldwide recognition for his success in rebuilding the industry, for generating international demand for Thai silk and for contributing to the growth of the silk industry.
• During the Easter weekend in 1967, Thompson disappeared while on holiday with friends in Cameron Highlands, a northern Malaysian resort. An extensive and extended search failed to reveal any clues about his disappearance. By then, Thompson had been in Thailand for nearly 22 years.
• He had built a major industry in a remote and little known country whose language he could not speak; he had become an authority on an art that, previously, he scarcely knew existed and had assembled a collection that attracted scholars from all over the world; he had built a home that was a work of art in itself and one of the landmarks of Bangkok.
  
• Opening Hours : 09:00 to 17:00 everyday with the last Guided Tour at 16:30
  Admission : Adult 100 baht; Students 50 baht
• Excerpted from the official Jim Thompson House

Transferred old Thai house	Assembled with no nail	Teakwood painted by majolica colored colcothar	Precious exhibition in Painting Pavilion
Hot & humidity without air conditioner	showpieces in good condition?	Looking at garden from inside, image of southland	balance between showpieces and outside green
celadon ceramics in Gold Pavilion	no guard inside	Sung dynasty to 19th century	15-17th century are majority
Old china table	Silk pavilion over there	handicrafts in Silk Pavilion	Bet for guest
photos allowed only in guest room of main house	handicrafts in 1F	Gallery consists of building itself and bibelot	southern plants in garden
elephant presented by craftsmen in 60-year-old	massive pillars preparing for flood	he likes combination wood carving and ceramics	no living room in 1st floor of main house
front side of main house and guest room	lions are guarding	reclining Buddha is the moment of nirvana	this sort of wood carving also Jim's favorite
wooden statue	Oldest in here, 7-8 Century in central Thailand	celadon ceramic and flower, beautiful	roofing with thatch
charm crafts hanged in windows	beautiful orchid in garden	little shrine guards house	back canal used for silk transportation

2002/09/01