Prince Royal Vajiravudh Portrait 1895

Leslie Ward's chromolithograph, captioned "A Prince Royal" with the subtitle "The Prince Royal of Siam," portrays the young Crown Prince Vajiravudh—future Rama VI—seated in a carved armchair, hands clasped, dressed in a dark Western suit with white collar and tie. Ward's signature Spy appears on the floor. The Siamese royal arms are embossed upper right. Ward renders the prince with conspicuous facial exaggeration typical of the series: the wide face and broad features reflect conventions of late-Victorian illustrated press. Politically, the plate registers Siam's careful diplomacy—presenting its heir in English dress to a British audience at a moment when Siamese sovereignty was under acute Franco-British colonial pressure.