Mid-Pacific Carnival 1914.

Posted on by

This is the Picture of Duke Kahanamoku Atop a Surfboard, For Advertising Washington’s Day.

MID-PACIFIC CARNIVAL
FEB 18 to 21 1914
DUKE KAHANAMOKU
CHAMPION SWIMMER OF THE WORLD
[Illegible line follows, that does not appear in other images online…]
HONOLULU HAWAII
STEEL–HENDERSON
ENGRAVED AND PRINTED BY HAWAIIAN GAZETTE CO., LTD., HONOLULU.

To advertise the celebration of the birth of Washington, in the coming month of February, the Promotion Committee has chosen the picture of Duke Kahanamoku, the swimming champion of the world, standing atop of his surfboard, as a picture to send all over the world as advertisement to benefit this Territory.

This newspaper company received the contract to create and print some thousands of these illustrations, to be sent all over, and posted at places where crowds assemble; it was finished a month before the date of completion as set in the contract.

This image of Duke Kahanamoku is done in multiple colors, under the direction of the art department of this publishing company.

(Kuokoa, 10/3/1913, p. 5)

O Keia ke Kii o Duke Kahanamoku Maluna o ka Papa Heenalu, i mea Hoikeike no ka la o Wakinekona

Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke LI, Helu 39, Aoao 5. Okatoba 3, 1913.

3 thoughts on “Mid-Pacific Carnival 1914.”

  1. When the annual Floral Parade was enlarged to become the Mid-Pacific Carnival in 1910, a poster image like this was created each year. As this article says, posters of various sizes were printed using that year’s chosen design, along with postcards (also in different sizes) and poster stamps (like government postage stamps, but used just for advertising.) Of the 8 designs that were created (1910-1917), this one of Duke is the most famous today. Surviving examples are quite rare; the posters are extremely scarce, and even the postcards are priced very high, if you ever find them.

    The Hawaii Promotion Committee also used a similar image of Duke for the cover of their Hawaii brochure around this time also.

    I am fascinated to see the interaction of the Hawaiian community with these tourist-related activities, as shown in the Hawaiian-language press.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  2. I just found a matted print of this #40 in the garage of a home I just bought in Phx Az. Being a surfer origianlly from San Diego I’m facinated by this find. What is the value of this print?

    Like

    Reply ↓

Leave a comment