Paul Emmert: Artist/Traveler
Born near Bern, Switzerland, in 1826, Paul Emmert (1826‒1867) immigrated to the
United States at the age of 19, landing first in New York and then heading west
with the discovery of gold in California. Ever the entrepreneur (and destined
for a life of adventure), he ran the Bear Hotel in Sacramento and a theater in
San Francisco, and he created a popular panorama of scenes from the gold fields.
In 1853, he became one of the many artist-travelers to come
to Hawai‘i to satisfy the thriving market for images of the islands’ dramatic
topography and singular culture. In Honolulu, he opened a print shop, where he
made prints after his own drawings of local landmarks. Eventually, he moved to
Kailua-Kona and farmed the sugar plantation where he lived out the remainder of
his life.
In his 14 years in Hawai‘i, Emmert made drawings of the
mountains, coastlines, vegetation, and geophysical phenomena in and around
O‘ahu, Maui, and the Island of Hawai‘i.
He recorded Diamond Head and Punchbowl craters, Nu‘uanu Valley, Waikïkï,
Hilo, Lahaina, and numerous other locales, capturing their natural beauty
before urbanization transformed them. In an exuberant, slightly naïve style, he
embellished historical accuracy with aesthetic flourish, paying careful
attention to detail and skillfully manipulating a variety of graphic media to
create gemlike scenes of rare and captivating beauty that offer a glimpse into
Hawai‘i’s past.
Labels
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Sandwich
Islands from
the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands, c.1860
Graphite
on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.20)
Lahaina,
Island of Maui, Sandwich from the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands, c. 1860
Graphite
with white heightening on blue paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.14)
Paul Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Diamond Head, from Aliapaakai, c. 1853–1859
Ink and ink wash over graphite on paper
Gift of Bruce Cartwright, 1938 (10927)
Diamond
Head, Honolulu from
the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands
c. 1858
Graphite,
ink, and white heightening on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.05)
Diamond
Head, c. 1853
Ink and
ink wash over graphite on paper
Gift of
Mr. and Mrs. John Dominis Holt, 1985 (19446)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Diamond
Head Near Honolulu,
c. 1853
Graphite
and watercolor on prepared paper
Gift of
Mr. and Mrs. John Dominis Holt, 1985 (19441)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Haleola
Honolulu,
from the series
Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands, c. 1858
Graphite
and chalk on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.04)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Kealakekua
Bay, Sandwich from
the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands
1860
Graphite
and chalk on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.16)
Hilo,
great Hawai‘i, Sandwich from the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands c. 1860
Graphite
and white heightening on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.06)
Hulihe‘e
Palace, Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859
Watercolor
on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20660)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Windward
Oahu, c. 1853
Graphite
on paper
Gift of
Mr. and Mrs. John Dominis Holt, 1985 (19445)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Kealakekua
Bay, Village where Cook was
Killed from the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands
c. 1860
Graphite
and chalk on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.17)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Ka
Lina from the
series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands, c. 1860
Graphite
on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.13)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Pahoehoe,
Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20661)
La‘aloa,
Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20664)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Kainaliu,
Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20663)
Napo‘opo‘o,
Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20666)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Kaumalumalu,
Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20665)
Kaumamalu,
Kona, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Mary Alexander Smith, 1990 (20662)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
The
Great Volcano of Hawai‘i from the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands 1861
Graphite,
chalk, and ink wash on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.08)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Place
where Cook's body was Burned from the series Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian
Islands, c. 1860
Graphite
on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.18)
Paul
Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Trunk
of coconut tree near which Cook was
Killed
from the series
Views and Landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands, c. 1860
Graphite
on paper
Gift of
Frances Damon and John Dominis Holt, 1985
(19438.19)
Paul Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Scene
probably at Kahokukano, Kona, Hawai‘i
c.
1859–67
Ink and
ink wash on paper
Gift of
Bruce Cartwright, 1938 (10929)
Puako,
Kohala, Hawai‘i,
c. 1859
Watercolor
on paper
Gift of
Mary Charlotte Alexander, 1954 (20659)
Kealakekua Bay, c. 1859-67
Ink and ink wash on paper
Gift of Bruce Cartwright, 1938 (10928)
Paul Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Coconut Grove
behind Montgomery, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Waititi [Waikīkī], c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Waititi [Waikīkī], c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Palama, Honolulu, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Wailua Falls in
Kauai, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Paul Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Waititi [Waikīkī], c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
In Waititi [In
Waikīkī], c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Diamond Head, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Kapena, Waterfall
in Nu‘uanu Valley, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
In Waiawa, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Paul Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
View from Nu‘uanu
Valley, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
In Nu‘uanu Valley, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Waterfall in
Kalihi Valley, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Kliua, Ancient
Sacrificial Place in Kahuku, c.1850–60
Graphite and gouache
on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Kalihi Valley, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Paul Emmert (Swiss, 1826–1867)
Palama, Honolulu, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Kukui Tree, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Honolulu from Nu‘uanu
Valley, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Pali, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam
and Mary Cooke
Honolulu from
Moanalua, c.1850–60
Graphite, gouache,
ink, and gold paint on paper
Collection of Sam and
Mary Cooke