(18 Dec 2025) The British Library Philatelic Collections has digitized and published one of the earliest specialist philatelic studies devoted to a single country online. The Row Collection of Siam (Thailand), 1881–1918 focuses on postage stamps, postal stationery, and postal marks from a pivotal era in Thai history.
Formed by British zoologist and philatelist Richard Williams Harold Row (1884–1919), this monumental collection comprises 24,473 items on 1,358 pages within twenty-three volumes. More than a century after Row’s death, it stands as enduring testimony to his meticulous research techniques and unrivalled depth of knowledge.
“Thailand’s philately during this period is particularly significant for philatelic and colonial history,” said Richard Scott Morel, Curator of the British Library Philatelic Collections. “Siam’s stamps and postal stationery issued under King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) were powerful artefacts symbolising the Chakri dynasty’s modernisation programme. They were deliberately designed to project sovereignty and successfully resist colonial encroachment at a time when many neighbouring states fell prey to European powers.”
The complete collection is now freely accessible worldwide via the Internet Archive, with high-resolution 600 dpi PDF scans to empower detailed research. Browsable, standards-compliant metadata is simultaneously available through the UK National Archives’ Discovery catalogue.
Find out more here.
