Laos: Intricate patterns adorn window panels at Xieng Hong Pagoda in upper Laos. Drawing by Louis Delaporte, 1867.

Delaporte produced a great number of drawings, sketches and watercolours 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 mostly by boat, the 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.

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