--- title: Thailand's Late King Bhumibol: Vivid Color Photos From 1960 description: The King, who has died at 88, offered the readers of LIFE Magazine in 1960 a close-up view of a monarch in the prime of life and power canonical: https://time.com/4526648/thailand-king-bhumibol-1960/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-13T13:26:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:25.332Z og:title: When LIFE Photographed Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1960 og:description: The King has died at 88, the palace announced Oct. 13. og:url: https://time.com/4526648/thailand-king-bhumibol-1960/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe9b076a9555e01c/6988a98b0a4a22ba3a9cb988/161011-thai-king-07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2034 og:image:height: 1144 og:image:alt: Thailand's King Bhumibol og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: When LIFE Photographed Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1960 twitter:description: The King has died at 88, the palace announced Oct. 13. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe9b076a9555e01c/6988a98b0a4a22ba3a9cb988/161011-thai-king-07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # When LIFE Photographed Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1960 > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Oct 13, 2016 1:26 PM UTC  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 1960. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Oct 13, 2016 1:26 PM UTC Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej has [died at 88](http://time.com/4043989/thailand-king-dead-obituary-bhumibol-adulyadej/), the palace announced Oct. 13, bringing an end to the rule of the [world’s longest-reigning monarch](http://time.com/4137670/thailand-celebrates-worlds-longest-living-monarch-on-his-88th-birthday/). The incredible longevity of his reign, which began in 1946, meant that he came to represent a number of different roles in the lives of his subjects. More recently, he had been the steadying force in a nation that seemed sometimes to teeter on a political edge. But in 1960, as he and Queen Sirikit of Thailand prepared for an official state visit to the United States, he was an image of vitality and new hope for the future in a country that had only been called Thailand for about a decade. When the royal couple [gave LIFE Magazine’s John Dominis an invitation](https://books.google.com/books?id=5k4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA54#v=twopage&q&f=false) to photograph them at home, those images offered American readers a glimpse at the royal couple in the prime of life. Dominis spent time with them at their daughter’s birthday party, followed the Queen on official business and also saw the King—who had a passion for music, specifically jazz—playing the clarinet. Soon after, TIME [reported](http://time.com/vault/issue/1960-07-11/page/48/) on how the U.S. visit progressed: --- > “” --- He was, TIME explained in a 1966[ cover story](http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19660527,00.html) about the King, a prime example of a leader who was not only revered by his people but also a true political asset for his nation: “\[The\] men who run Thailand are well aware that their youthful King is their—and the nation’s—greatest living asset.”  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Formal portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (aka Phumiphon Aduldet) and Queen Sirikit at the Palace in 1960\. The nine-tiered parasol in background is a symbol of the Chakri Dynasty. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej and family at a birthday party, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (second left) and Queen Sirikit (left) taking pictures of their children Ubolratana (center), Chulabkorn (in sister's arms) and Vajiralongkorn on palace grounds, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej with his children, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej and family at a birthday party, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (left) and Queen Sirikit (third from right) giving alms with their children (left to right) Vajiralongkorn, Sirindhorn, Chulabkorn and Ubolratana on the morning of Ubolratana's birthday, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (aka Phumiphon Aduldet) with wife Queen Sirikit at the Palace, 1960. 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