Hawaiian Islands Tourism and Colonial-Era Visual Culture in 1925 SS Resolute Photo Archive

Hawaii Photography

Photograph

SS Resolute photo archive, approximately 86 photographs dating to 1925, documenting a passenger voyage through the Hawaiian Islands and broader Pacific region during a period of expanding U.S. tourism and colonial presence. The material captures volcanic landscapes, urban development, agricultural activity, and Native Hawaiian individuals, providing visual evidence of both environmental features and social life. These images record the intersection of natural geography and emerging tourist infrastructure in Hawaii during the interwar period, when the islands were increasingly integrated into trans-Pacific travel networks.

Approximately 86 black-and-white and color photographs, each measuring about 3.5 x 5 inches, mounted on black album leaves with white ink captions identifying locations such as Honolulu, Hilo, Waimea Bay, Kilauea Crater, and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The archive includes multiple views of volcanic activity, including lava flows associated with eruptions from 1868, 1901, and 1924, as well as craters at Halemaumau and Kilauea, steam vents, and descending lava formations. Coastal landscapes and inland terrain of Oahu and the Big Island are represented alongside urban scenes in Honolulu, including hotels, streetscapes, and institutional buildings such as the Moana Hotel and the Mormon Temple at Laie. Agricultural images show sugarcane cultivation and rural labor environments, while market scenes and portraits depict local residents in daily settings. A group of photographs includes Duke Kahanamoku posed with a surfboard marked “DUKE,” alongside additional images referencing Pacific locations such as Tutuila and Upolu, indicating the voyage extended beyond Hawaii.

Produced during the 1920s expansion of Pacific tourism, these photographs document how Hawaii and surrounding islands were visually framed for travelers within a colonial and commercial context. The combination of landscape, infrastructure, and human subjects reflects both the promotion of the islands as a destination and the presence of established local communities and industries. The archive supports research into tourism history, Pacific colonial networks, environmental documentation, and Native Hawaiian cultural representation. Mild toning and occasional rippling to prints with minimal edge wear; captions remain clear; overall very good condition. A comprehensive visual record of a trans-Pacific यात्रा and its documentation of Hawaii and neighboring islands in the early twentieth century.

Item #22784

Price: $550.00