Who is the woman in the photo?
Many black and white photos showing Cambodia’s landscapes and people in the past are often published and shared on social media without having exact details. One of them is a photo showing a woman in traditional dresses. A social media user claimed the photo was a Cambodian mistress of a French official in the colonial era, and others claimed she was Teav – a girl depicted in Tom Teav – a Cambodia’s famous historical story. Thai-speaking social media users claimed the photo was a Siamese woman about 100 years ago. After running Google Reverser Image, however, it proves the claim is false.
Social Media Claim
On November 21, a Facebook page named ចៅកម្ពុជា-Chao Kampuchea posted a black and white photo with a caption saying the woman in the photo was Ti Sao, 18, who was a mistress of a French official in the colonial era more than 100 years ago.
The photo with the claim had been shared more than 1,000 times by Khmer-speaking Facebook users along with a mixture of comments and reactions.
Below is a capture of the Facebook page’s post read: “This is a photo which most of the public have misunderstood, and some say she was Teav; in fact, she was a French official’s mistress. Miss Ti Sao, taking a picture at 18 years old, was one of the beautiful girls in Phsar Daek province, and she was a mistress of Virrier – a French official. This photo was taken in 1870.”
The Facebook page added its caption is based on a description on page 139 of a book written by Gregor Muller and published in 2006.
By searching with keywords in Khmer, the same photo was also published by other Facebook pages, saying the girl was Teav who is depicted in the historical loving story Tom Teav or Teav Aek. Below are captures of posts with photos and claims.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo Cambodia begins checking the photo and the claim as mentioned above by running Google Reverse Image – leading us to find out the same photo and its information.
The photo was published by a Facebook page named ក្រុមព្រះសុរិយា (Preah Soriya) on November 28, saying the woman in the photo was Sok – a royal ballet dancer in the reign of Cambodia’s King Norodom. The Kingdom of Cambodia was already in the French protectorate at the time.
The Facebook page said the royal ballet dancer later married Paul Le Faucheur – a French senior naval officer who was later assigned to oversee the construction of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.
The couple had a daughter named Malis who married Samdech Chaovavieng Thiounn who held the position of the Minister of Royal Palace in three reigns. Thiounn and Malis had Thiounn Hol who is the father of Thiounn Mom.
The Facebook page said its explanation is based on clarification from Poc Yannine who is one of Thiounn’s daughters.
By reviewing comments responded to the claim, we found a Facebook user named Yannine Poc who explained in comments.
Yannine Poc claimed the woman in the photo is her great grandmother who married Paul Le Faucheur – a French naval officer and a friend with King Norodom.
Below is a capture of Yannine Poc’s comment read:
“Please note the following clarification:
The lady’s name is Sok. She was my great grandmother and she was married to Mr. Paul Le Faucheur, an officer of the French Marine who later on became one of the constructors of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. Paul Le Faucheur was a friend of His Majesty King Norodom.
Lok Yeay [great grandmother] Sok was a ballerina of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. Lok Yeay Sok and Mr. Paul Le Faucheur had one daughter, Lok Yeay Malis, who was married to Lok Ta Chauvea Vaing Thiounn.”
Fact Crescendo Cambodia tried to get verbal explanation from Yannine Poc, but she has not replied yet.
The photo is found on page 154 of a book “លោកព្រឹទ្ធាចារ្យបណ្ឌិត ជួន ម្មុម” [Ph.D. Thiounn Mom] a biographical description of Thiounn Mom written by Ph.D. Putri Tut and published in 2019.
The book descripts the woman is named Sok, a royal ballet dancer and wife of Paul Le Faucheur – a French officer overseeing the construction of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh in the reign of King Norodom.
The couple had a daughter named Malis who was later married to Samdech Chauvea Vaing Thiounn. The later couple had a son named Thiounn Houl who is father of Thioun Mom.
Thus, the woman in the photo is the great-grandmother of Thioun Mom or mother-in-law of Thiounn – the Minister of the Royal Palace from the reign of King Sisowath.
Below is a capture from the book written by Ph.D. Putri Tut and printed in 2019 by publisher Edition Angkor.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found out the claim mentioned above is false. The girl in the photo is not Teav in the loving story Tom Teav nor a French officer’s mistress Ti Sao either. She is Sok who was a ballerina of the royal ballet in the reign of King Norodom and grandmother-in-law of Thiounn – the Minister of the Royal Palace.
