Antique print titled 'Laos Siamois'. Two views on one sheet titled 'Panorama du groupe d'Iles de Khong' and 'Panorama de la vallée du fleuve'. Panoramic views of Khong Island and a valley, Laos. This print originates from 'Voyage d'exploration en Indo-Chine effectué pendant les années 1866, 1867 et 1868 par une Commission Française' by F. Garnier. Published 1873-1875. It was one of the most beautifully illustrated books on Indo-China. Garnier served with the French navy in the Far East in 1859, as part of Admiral Charner’s forces fighting the Vietnamese in the Mekong delta. There, he formed the idea of exploring the Mekong as a way of opening up French colonisation of the area, with the prospect of commercial access from French territory to China and its fabled markets, in direct challenge to British imperial ambition in south-east Asia.