Hawaiian Royal Portraits and Diplomacy

Enlightening online lecture from the British Museum focusing on the portraits of the king and queen of Hawai’i in the Hawai’i exhibition at the museum.

Three speakers, Healoha Johnson, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum on Hawai’i, Kate Lemay, Army College Museum, and Alice Christophe, curator of the exhibition, told us the story of King Liholiho and Queen Kamamalu’s visit to Britain in 1823 and how and why they had their portraits painted while they were there. Sadly they both died of measles during the trip.

They talked about the history of using Western portrait painters in Hawai’i and how this was done to present the monarchs to the world and the images were circulated via traders and sailors.

They then discussed why they chose to be presented in Western clothes and how these were purchased as well as looking at why the prime minister, Na Poki, and his wife chose to be shown in Hawaiian clothes.

 

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