This illustration is based on a watercolor by Louis Delaporteone of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants. In this illustration, a reunion takes place: Delaporte and other members of the expedition had taken a detour to Siam on the Mun River and waited until Lagree and his retinue returned from a logistics trip to Phnom Penh.