These days it takes around 17 hours to fly from Hawaii to London. Two centuries ago, however, a letter sent by the Hawaiian king Liholiho to George IV took two years to arrive. After more than a year of waiting for a response, Liholiho, together with his consort Kamāmalu and 10 companions, set sail for Portsmouth in late 1823 and arrived in May the following year. The visit did not go well: both royals contracted measles and died within weeks of reaching London. But during their stay they had portraits made in the Regency style and took in several sights – including the British Museum, where Hawaiian cloaks were on display. This exhibition includes those portraits and some 150 other items, including a letter and a resplendent feathered cloak sent by Liholiho’s predecessor, Kamehameha I, to King George III, and a 2.7-metre-high wooden sculpture of Kū, the god of war and governance (15 January–25 May).
Find out more from the British Museum’s website.
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