Liliuokalani: A Royal Album

Taking pictures and design from Liliuokalani s own photo albums, filled with what were called carte de visite…left behind after a social call, or exchanged at gatherings, Liliuokalani…A Royal Album follows the seventy-nine years of Liliuokalani’s eventful life, which began in her grandfather’s grass-thatched hale and ended in Washington Place, her place of refuge in the decades that followed her overthrow. Before that, she had already served as heir to the throne, ruling twice in Kalakaua’s absence. Well-educated by stern missionary teachers and naturally inquisitive, she appreciated knowledge for its own sake and proved a benefactor to all with her music and her English translation of the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian Creation Chant revealed in chapter seven. Decade-by-decade Liliuokalani…A Royal Album focuses on both her personal transformation and on the people and events that impacted her and led to the throne and its loss. Buffeted by tempestuous times, she handled herself with the dignity and grace inherent in both her Hawaiian and Victorian selves. She lived to become an icon, her impact surviving the century that’s passed since her death.

Author: Allan Seiden