Photography in Cambodia: 1866 to the Present by Nicholas Coffill
Book review: Photography in Cambodia: 1866 to the Present by Nicholas Coffill
In a country where history is often told through ruins, memories, and scars, photography offers another powerful archive. Photography in Cambodia: 1866 to the Present by Nicholas Coffill is a remarkable attempt to trace Cambodia’s modern history through the lens of those who photographed it. More than just a photography collection, the book reads like a visual history of the nation itself.
Published in 2022 by Tuttle Publishing, the book brings together nearly 500 photographs from more than 100 photographers, drawn from museums, archives, and private collections around the world.
A visual history of Cambodia
One of the strengths of the book lies in its historical structure. Coffill organizes the narrative chronologically, dividing the book into chapters corresponding to major political periods in Cambodian history—from the colonial era to contemporary Cambodia.
The journey begins in the 1860s, when photography first arrived alongside French colonial presence. Some of the earliest images include photographs of Angkor temples and royal portraits taken by European photographers exploring the region. These images reveal a Cambodia that was just beginning to be documented through modern technology.
From there, the book moves through:
- The French colonial period
- The Sangkum era under Prince Norodom Sihanouk
- The years of war and revolution
- The Khmer Rouge period
- The post-conflict rebuilding of modern Cambodia
Photography becomes not just art, but evidence—capturing everyday life, political power, cultural identity, and tragedy.
Photography as witness
Perhaps the most powerful section of the book deals with the period of the Khmer Rouge. Photography during this era carries a heavy historical weight. Images from prisons such as Tuol Sleng (S-21) became part of the regime’s bureaucratic machinery, documenting victims before their deaths.
Coffill explores how these photographs later transformed—from instruments of oppression into historical testimony used in archives, museums, and tribunals. The images remind readers that photography is not neutral; it can serve propaganda, surveillance, memory, and justice.
Beyond war and angkor
Another compelling element of the book is its effort to expand Cambodia’s photographic narrative beyond familiar clichés. Cambodia is often visually reduced to three dominant images: Angkor Wat, royal portraits, and Khmer Rouge atrocity photographs.
Coffill’s collection pushes beyond that.
Readers encounter photographs of:
- Street vendors and food markets
- Studio portraits of Cambodian families
- Colonial-era Phnom Penh
- Rivers, villages, and festivals
- Postwar urban life and contemporary photography
These images highlight something often overlooked: everyday Cambodian life has always continued, even through periods of political turmoil.
A global archive of cambodia
The book also reveals an interesting truth about Cambodia’s visual history: much of it was recorded by foreigners. Early photographers included explorers, colonial officials, travelers, and journalists. In fact, identifiable Cambodian photographers are difficult to trace before the 1970s.
Coffill spent years gathering photographs from collections across Europe, North America, and Asia, reviewing tens of thousands of images to select those included in the book.
The result is a diverse archive showing how Cambodia has been seen both by outsiders and by Cambodians themselves.
A book that teaches you how to see
What makes Photography in Cambodia: 1866 to the Present particularly engaging is Coffill’s background as a museum exhibition designer. The book originated from a theater project called “SNAP! 150 Years of Photography in Cambodia”, which combined images, music, and storytelling before evolving into the book.
That theatrical sensibility is visible in the book’s pacing. The photographs feel curated like scenes in a story rather than simply arranged chronologically.
