An American Girl in the Hawaiian Islands: Letters of Carrie Prudence Winter, 1890-1893

3. Meeting Royalty November 16–December 21, 1890

45 3 Meeting Royalty November 16–December 21, 1890 November 16, 1890, Kawaiahao Seminary My dearest, Charlie, I am a very exalted personage—this last week I have hobnobbed with royalty so you may expect this letter to have a very aristocratic flavor. There is a very handsome lady visiting here now from California and Mrs. Dominis1 has made considerable of her and last Monday told her to invite a party and she would show them over the palace. We were all invited and at 10:30 left our posts of duty. I think there must have been 40 or 50 people there. Iolani Palace. Photo by Lilla Estelle Appleton. Homage to the royal family in photographs and lei. MEETING ROYALTY 47 We paid our respects to Mrs. Dominis in the throne room in a long room carpeted in red, with its walls in white and gold. The principal object of interest here were the royal mantles and capes which were evidently out from lock and key for an airing. They are all made of beautiful yellow feathers, two little tufts coming from one bird and as this species is nearly or quite extinct, the mantles can never be replaced and therefore to the Hawaiians are much more valuable than diamonds. They are constructed in such a way as to be very pliable. One was very old and had belonged to Kamehameha, the grandest king the islands ever had, and the first in historic times to rule all the islands. We passed from this room into the “blue room” and the pictures here were valuable fine paintings of the king and Queen—one of Louis Philippe, the king and Queen of Italy and a handsome large picture of Queen Victoria in her Jubilee robe. These are gifts from European countries, very interesting, and I suppose not to be found to any extent outside of royal hands. You would have been delighted with the great calabashes of Koa wood with gold finishings. I must get hold of that wood sometime to take home with me. I would want your advice before having it made up into anything. Next was the Banqueting room with oak finishings and silver ornaments. There were more paintings here. I easily picked out Napoleon III and heard Mrs. Dominis telling someone that it was a Napoleon but she did not know which one. Blanche was one and a General Thomas who immortalized himself in Hawaiian history by being the first to rear the Hawaiian flag after the English flag was pulled down.2 Thus I learned that the English had once tried to hold these islands. Back in the grand entrance hall we had to wait to sign our names and that gave us a chance to study the pictures there— Kamehameha I, in a red coat white shirt, no collars or cuff and yellow robe with a noble old face and a high forehead. His Queen had on a yellow gown with leg-of-mutton sleeves and a red scarf. There is all the togery of civilization in the next Kamehameha. He went to England and died there. His Queen has on a huge white turban with ostrich plumes and a gauzy dress. The Queen of Kamehameha the III is in white satin and Kamehameha IV in red velvet. She is the good Queen Emma. There is one more king and that is all the line. They show their superiority in their faces. The present king was elected. There was one more Kamehameha who might have been Queen but she refused . She was Mrs. Bishop3 whose husband owns the big bank here. At her death all the wealth of the Kamehameha’s went into this Kamehameha School 48 AN AMERICAN GIRL started only three years ago. What better memorial could there have been. When Mr. Bishop dies, his money is to go there also. The school certainly has a noble future. Mrs. Dominis who is by far the funniest appearing of the royal family was very affable and explained to the best of her ability. Now for my next encounter with royalty or do you prefer to come down to common people first and have some kisses first. There—now I think I can go on. Well, the king was going to prorogue the legislature and I thought I would like to see such a big work put in action, so I went...