A year ago, as the deadline for clearing out my parents’ house in Kahala arrived, I finally just grabbed the last remnants of their papers, and the few remaining items that seemed to deserve better than the trash can, and threw them all into boxes. Then I moved the boxes, and a few pieces of furniture I thought we might want to keep, into a storage locker and forgot about them.
Until this week, when I emptied out the locker and started the next stage of sorting into stacks. I’m trying to force myself to make decisions.
Toss? Scan and dispose? Keep? Give to someone else? I sat down yesterday in front of one box. Pick out the first handful of papers. Then, one by one, decide its fate. It seems like it should be relatively simple, but I can see it won’t be.
From Day 1 of the sort. A photograph on heavy cardboard, approximately 4×6, of David Kalakaua, who served as king from 1874 to 1891. There’s a signature, “Kalakaua,” but I don’t know if it’s in his hand or not.
I’m guessing this might have been a mass produced item, but really don’t know anything about its origins.
And it was damaged, torn almost in half. Luckily, it was a clean tear.
Even though this was a cool find, which stack to I put it in? What would you do with it?
![[text]](http://ilind.net/oldkine_images/kalakaua.jpg)
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What would constitute a lot of those pictures? Even if there were a lot I’d say err on the side of caution and call a curator of Hawaiiana. I’d say Bishop museum would be a great starting place. If you have a strong lens you can look at the signature with it to see if is a smooth hand (which could be real) or dots as in a reproduction even from a later era. I must add I’m a saver…until I know for sure the item stays in my possession.
PBS Antiques Roadshow. If you don’t mind waiting in line for 4 hours. and visiting Omaha. quaint place.
Also, conservation can fix the tear and smudges or dirt so don’t despair if it’s a keeper!
signature looks real.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Kalakaua%27s_signature.jpg
http://natedsanders.com/ItemImages/000030/48143_lg.jpeg
Keep, keep, keep!!!
This is just me thinking romantic thoughts, but have you and your wife and sister and neighbors ever considered opening your own mini museum in Kaaawa? Kaaawa Museum of Art and Photography, Featuring the Lind Collection. (KMAP!)
Signature looks real. Williams was a famous photographer in Honolulu back then. Seriously good stuff.
I think this is in the class of photos called “cabinet cards” – see http://www.pbagalleries.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/136/lot/38454/?url=%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F136%3Fpage%3D2%26cat%3D3%252C7
I don’t see your seated example in the Wikimedia collection of Kalakaua images http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kal%C4%81kaua so you may have a relatively rare example
Keep!
Oh boy. I’m trying to clear out “stuff” to save my sons the effort and decision making. Not easy. I’m not a keeper but that photo looks like something to keep.
keep for sure
UH Archives, Hamilton Library. Keep.
I don’t think I’ve EVER seen a photo of Kalakaua wearing a spiked, Prussian-style helmet like the one on the table beside him in this photo. That would be something!