Paul Emmert: Artist-Traveler

Wall Text

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