Hawaiian royal portraits and diplomacy

This illuminating discussion will explore the use of portraiture during an unprecedented diplomatic visit made by the Hawaiian king and queen to the UK more than 200 years ago.
 
In 1824, the young King Liholiho and Queen Kamāmalu travelled across vast oceans on a journey that would mark a turning point in the history of their kingdom, Hawaiʻi. The exhibition Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans commemorates the bicentenary of this ill-fated royal visit – and this talk dives into detail about the images that were made during it.
 
Portraiture has long been used within royal circles to convey power, stature and prestige of sovereignty. In this fascinating talk, the speakers will examine both portraiture and caricature produced during the monumental royal visit. The contrasting imagery, from respectful portraits to mocking caricatures, illustrates the complex mixture of fascination, curiosity and differing attitudes that greeted the Hawaiian delegation in London. But beyond this ambiguous reception, royal Hawaiian portraiture, as shaped by the sitters, reveals the vision of Hawaiian monarchs for their kingdom.
 
Join Healoha Johnston from Bishop Museum in Hawaiʻi and Dr Kate C Lemay, a former historian and curator at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and Director of the US Army Heritage and Education Center of the Army War College, at this discussion, which is followed by a Q&A. It will be chaired by exhibition curator Dr Alice Christophe. 
 
 
Photo: Charles Joseph Hullmandel (1789–1850), after John Hayter, Na Poki, Prime Minister of the Sandwich islands; and his wife, Liliha. Lithograph, 1824.​ Photo © 2025 The Trustees of the British Museum.