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Ewa From Honolulu.
[San Francisco]: Printed by Britton & Rey, [1857]. Lithograph, 8” x 12.375” plus margins. Includes separate manuscript provenance note in ink. CONDITION: Good, expertly repaired tear at left margin, two very small perforations at lower left, light toning at upper left, trimmed close to title at bottom. A rare Honolulu view by George H. Burgess, depicting an idealized social gathering and the district of ‘Ewa, accompanied by an early provenance note connecting it to a onetime customs officer stationed there. Pictured here is a group of men and women wearing a mix of Hawaiian and Western-style clothing with the coastal district of ‘Ewa, across Pearl Harbor from Honolulu, in the background. In the center foreground, Native Hawaiian women in white gowns and lei-covered heads gather around a large bowl. At lower right, a Hawaiian man, holding a basket of fruit, interacts with a seated woman. Several women in Western-style clothing—possibly missionaries—ride horseback. Several dogs, including two squaring off in the foreground, are included as well. A thatched hut and tropical vegetation frame the scene. The buildings in the background include a large rectangular structure—possibly Honolulu Fort, demolished in the year this print was published. The mountains on the horizon are part of the Wai’anae Range, located beyond ‘Ewa, a low-lying agricultural region. The body of water is M mala Bay, along O’ahu’s southern coast. The print was issued in 1857 as part of a series of five Burgess views of Honolulu subjects, which also included: “Port of Honolulu,” “Diamond-Head from Look-Out,” “Diamond Head from Hon[olu]lu Beach,” and “Nuanu Valley from the New Church Beritania St.” The view is captioned: “Drawn from nature & on stone by G. H. Burgess.” The printer’s name is misspelled or abbreviated as “Brttn & Rey,” the only case in the series where this error appears. By the 1850s, Honolulu, the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was the main gateway to the outside world. Growing American influence, connected with the whaling industry and plantation economy, raised the early prospect of annexation. King Kamehameha III considered the idea as a means to secure stability, but following his death in 1855, his successor Kamehameha IV, halted the conversation. At the same time, a demographic shift was underway in the kingdom—the Native Hawaiian population was declining rapidly due to disease while Asian immigration was on the rise to fill demand for agricultural labor. Americans and Europeans were also a common fixture in the Honolulu area. Like some of Burgess’s other Hawaiian views, this scene selectively incorporates both Native Hawaiian and Western elements to create an idyllic picture of life in the kingdom. This print is accompanied by an old provenance note reading: “Brought to Elkhart, Ind., About 1860 By Charles Julius Miles Formally Chief Custom Officer of Honolulu for six years, Clerk of Ohio Legislature when 23.” Aside from these key biographical details, most of what can be found about Charles Julius Miles (1819–ca. 1866) relates to his son, Franklin Miles, founder of the Dr. Miles Medical Company, known for introducing Alka-Seltzer and One-A-Day vitamins. From these sources, it is known that Charles Julius Miles was born in Cleveland and came from an old New England family. Following his posting in Hawaii, he arrived in Elkhart in the 1860s to work as a storekeeper. George Henry Burgess (1831–1905) was an English-born painter and lithographer who worked primarily in California. Trained and apprenticed in London, Burgess left in 1850 to follow the Gold Rush. Arriving in California with his brother Charles, the pair joined two more brothers—Edward and Hubert—who had already established themselves there. After trying their hands at prospecting, the brothers opened a jewelry business in the mining town of Sonora, but left following unrest between American and foreign miners. George settled in San Francisco, where he worked for a time as a lithographer for Britton & Rey. Starting in 1853, he made several trips to Hawaii (where his brothers had business connections), capturing picturesque scenes and views from around Honolulu, many of which were later issued as lithographs. He also painted portraits of the Hawaiian royal family. Upon returning, Burgess rejoined brother Hubert in the jewelry trade before seeking gold again in British Columbia during the 1858 Fraser River Gold Rush. He soon returned to San Francisco and established an art studio, specializing in portraiture, miniatures, genre scenes, and landscapes. Burgess exhibited his work at the Mechanics Institute and was a founding member of the San Francisco Art Association. His best known work is a large painted view titled San Francisco in July, 1849, completed in 1891. Britton & Rey (1852–58, 1859–1866, as Britton & Co., and 1867–1915) was at one time the leading lithography firm in California, producing views, maps, pictorial letter sheets, illustrations of current events, posters, and commercial works. Joseph Britton (1825–1901) was born in England and immigrated with his family to New York at a young age. After working for two years there as a lithographer, he moved to California in 1849 to join the Gold Rush, briefly publishing with C. J. Pollard before entering into a long partnership with Jacques Joseph Rey (1820–1892), an Alsatian immigrant, in 1852. Located in San Francisco, the firm grew rapidly, publishing many images capturing the early California scene. Between 1859 and 1866, the firm was known as Britton & Co. as the two men explored other business ventures, before reverting to Britton & Rey in 1867. The company continued to operate under that name until 1915. OCLC records one example held at Bishop Museum Library in Honolulu. A rare and fine example of a George H. Burgess Honolulu view, an idealized portrayal of life in the kingdom during an era of rapid change.
Item #9936
Price: $6,500.00
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