Queen Kalama

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Queen Kalama

Kingdom of Hawai'i,O'ahu, Honolulu, Hawaiian, 1864-1870
Photographs
Albumen silver print
Secondary support: 4 × 2 1/2 in. (10.16 × 6.35 cm)
Partial gift of Mark and Carolyn Blackburn and purchased with funds from LACMA's 50th Anniversary Gala and FIJI Water (M.2015.33.1357)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Similar photo found on State Library of New South Wales online collection, photographer: Henry L. Chase and dated circa 1865-1870. ...
Similar photo found on State Library of New South Wales online collection, photographer: Henry L. Chase and dated circa 1865-1870. Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili (about 1817 – September 20, 1870), whose first name translates to “Light or Torch,” became the queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawai’i when she married King Kamehameha III (1814-1854) on February 14, 1837. Their love marriage upset many, as Kalama was not considered an appropriate match for the monarch. After losing two children in infancy, the royal couple adopted their nephew Alexander Liholiho (1834-1863), who would inherit the throne in 1854. They also adopted a daughter, Ka’imina’auao (1845-1848), and another son, Albert Kuka’ilmoko Kuniakea (1851-1903). Queen Kalama outlived both her husband, Kamehameha III, and her son, Kamehameha IV. She became an adept business woman, eventually owning 22,000 acres on the windward side of Oahu, where she established a sugar plantation. A beach there in Kailua now bears her name. On January 16, 1893 the Hawaiian Kingdom was invaded by United States marines which led to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian government the following day.
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