Jim Thompson was an American architect who came to Bangkok after the Second World War and built the Thai silk industry into an internationally recognised luxury export. He assembled six traditional Thai houses on a klong in the Siam area, filled them with his collection of Asian art and antiques, and disappeared without trace on a walk in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia in 1967.
The house museum preserves Thompson's collection and the rooms exactly as he left them: Ayutthaya-period Buddhist sculptures, Chinese porcelain, and the silk fabrics he championed are displayed in period Thai interiors. The story of Thompson's disappearance adds a layer of mystery that makes the visit memorable. The garden cafe and silk shop are among Bangkok's most pleasant, set along the canal away from the main tourist circuit.