19th C. Hawaiian Photograph & Lithograph Illustration

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It's a Small World | Diminutive Artifacts

By Artemis Gallery

Nov 11, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-11-11 12:00:00 2021-11-11 12:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : It's a Small World | Diminutive Artifacts https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/its-a-small-world-diminutive-artifacts-7836
Join us for a very special auction featuring art & artifacts from East to West, North to South, and everywhere in between - with one small thing in common - size! Everything in this auction is approximately 6 inches or less - perfect for that last bit of shelf space in your curio cabinet! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  North Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, ca. 1860 to 1870s CE. A rare and early photograph by Henry L. Chase (1831 to 1901) of native Hawaiian women and a boy seated around a wooden calabash bowl eating poi, and a wood print by Emile-Antoine Bayard (French, 1837 to 1891). The photo titled, “Hawaiians Easting Poi” is sepia with the figures seemingly unposed; the boy's back is to the camera, and only two women at the lens. The print, known as “Femmes Havaiennes,” (Hawaiian Women) is an artistic copy by Bayard, but focuses solely on the figures and does not include the original background of the photo. This drawing is featured in the essay “Voyage aux iles Sandwich” by the diplomat Charles de Varigny in the 1873 French travel publication “Le Tour du Monde, XXVI.” This is a rare glimpse into Hawaiian life before incorporation into the United States and of historical importance! Please see below for more extensive information. Size of photograph: 3.75" L x 2.25" W (9.5 cm x 5.7 cm); drawing: 7" L x 3.5" W (17.8 cm x 8.9 cm); frame: 16.75" L x 12.75" W (42.5 cm x 32.4 cm)
  
  According to the book "Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary, 1840-1865" by Peter E Palmquist and Thomas R. Kailbourn; Henry L. Chase (1831 to 1901) was active in Hawaii from 1862 until his death. He sold portraits of Hawaiian royalty and landscapes from his shop for 25 cents each. Chase struggled financially as a photographer and supplemented his work by selling medicinal drugs and copies of famous photographs, including an assassinated President Lincoln. He moved storefront locations and closed and reopened his gallery many times and even mortgaged his equipment to make ends meet. In 1877 a fire destroyed his cameras and many of his negatives, but undeterred, Chase opened another gallery several months later. He suffered from alcoholism, perhaps contributing to his financial troubles, and in 1901 he passed away virtually penniless in Maui. Collections of his photographs can be seen in the Bishop Museum and the Washington DC Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. A copy of this photograph "Hawaiians Eating Poi" is in the digital collection of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives (HMH) a national historic landmark and library in Honolulu Hawaii.
  
  The poi eaters became the basis for the included wood engraving by Emile Bayard which was printed in several publications and travel related books of the era including "Foot-Prints of Travel; or, Journeyings in Many Lands" by Maturin M. Ballou, "Voyage aux iles Sandwich" by Charles de Varigny in the 1873 travel publication "Le Tour du Monde, XXVI," and finally as the cover for the 1981 edition of "Fourteen Years in the Sandwich Islands 1855-1868" also by Charles de Varigny.
  
  Charles de Varigny (French, 1829 to 1899) was born in Versailles and came to the United States in the 1840s with his father seeking fortune in the Gold Rush. In 1855 he moved from San Francisco, California to Honolulu, Hawaii and accepted a position as a translator for the French Consul. Varigny lived on the Hawaiian Islands for nearly 15 years, and served various governmental positions including Minister of Finance, Bureau of Public Instruction and Immigration, and most importantly he was appointed Privy Council by King Kamehameha V, in which he became a trusted advisor to the Hawaiian king, who was considered the last traditional chief. Varigny had a carte de visite style portrait of himself done by Henry Chase in 1866, and it seems probable that Varigny purchased several of Chase’s photographs and brought them back to France as references for his future publications. After returning to France, Varigny wrote articles and a book about his time in the Pacific. The photograph "Hawaiians Eating Poi" became the basis for the illustration "Femmes Havaiennes" by Emile Bayard and was printed in the essay "Voyage aux iles Sandwich" and credits Chase as the photographer.
  
  by Emile-Antoine (1837 to 1891) is perhaps most famously known as the illustrator for “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo. If you are familiar with the 1985 musical of the same name, the promotional art and album sleeve uses Bayard’s 1862 illustration of "Young Cosette Sweeping."
  
  A copy of "Fourteen Years in the Sandwich Islands 1855-1868" by Charles de Varigny will be included with this piece upon purchase.
  
  This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #166536

  Condition

  Excellent condition. Some fading to photograph image and fingerprint smudge. Line drawing is very good. Signature is faint. Small area of brown discoloration. All is protected and professionally mounted in a glass and wood frame with a wire on verso for suspension.
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