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Collections

H.L Chase
Queen Kalama of the Kingdom of Hawai'i1865-1870

Not on view
Sepia-toned carte-de-visite portrait of a seated woman in an oval vignette, wearing a dark off-shoulder gown, sash, decorative medal, and floral headpiece
Verso of a carte-de-visite with printed studio imprint reading 'H. L. Chase, Fort Street, Honolulu, H. I.' and a handwritten number '24'; typed label at top reads 'KALAMA, Queen Consort to Kamehameha III.'
Artist or Maker
H.L Chase
American, active 1831 - 1901
Title
Queen Kalama of the Kingdom of Hawai'i
Culture
Hawaiian
Place Made
Kingdom of Hawai'i, O'ahu,Honolulu
Date Made
1865-1870
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Secondary support: 4 × 2 1/2 in. (10.16 × 6.35 cm)
Credit Line
Partial gift of Mark and Carolyn Blackburn and purchased with funds from LACMA's 50th Anniversary Gala and FIJI Water
Accession Number
M.2015.33.1335
Classification
Photographs
Collecting Area
Art of the Pacific
Curatorial Notes

Photo is in the public domain and was taken as between 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.