Portrait of Queen Liliʻuokalani

Oil on canvas painting of Queen Liliʻuokalani of Hawai'i, in a gilt frame. The painting was commissioned in 1891 and purchased in 1892 by the Hawaiian government. It was purchased along with a portrait of King Kalākaua, the brother of Queen Liliʻuokalani, who passed away in January of 1891.

In this portrait, Queen Liliʻuokalani is wearing her black ribbon gown , which she wore to Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. A reproduction of the gown, completed by Hawaiʻi-based designer, Iris Viacrusis, is on display in the Blue Room of ʻIolani Palace.

Upon closer viewing, one can also see the throne of King Kamehameha III staged to the right of the Queen.

This portrait was painted by William F. Cogswell, a self-taught American painter. Cogswell painted portraits of several Hawaiian aliʻi (royalty), including Princess Liliʻuokalani, King Kalākaua, King Kamehameha IV, and King Kamehameha V, and Queen Emma. During his 1890-1891 residency in Hawaiʻi, Cogswell painted Queen Liliʻuokalani from life and King Kalākaua from photographs. Cogswell is also known for painting the American presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln.

Queen Liliʻuokalani's portrait is currently in Washington, D.C., where it will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery. It is part of the exhibit, "1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions," which runs from April 28, 2023 to February 25, 2024.

From the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery:
On the 125th anniversary of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Philippine War, “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions” is the first exhibition to examine this pivotal period through the lens of portraiture and visual culture. The year 1898 witnessed the United States become an empire with overseas territories, and by placing portraits of U.S. expansionists in dialogue with portraits of those who dissented. This exhibition revisits this important period of history through multifaceted viewpoints. With more than 90 artworks from collections in Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, Spain, and the United States, “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions” illuminates the complications and consequences of the Spanish-American War (1898), the Congressional Joint Resolution to annex Hawai‘i (July 1898), and the Philippine-American War (1899–1913).

On view from April 28, 2023, through Feb. 25, 2024, “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions” is curated by Taína Caragol, curator of painting and sculpture and Latino art and history, and Kate Clarke Lemay, historian, with Carolina Maestre, Latino curatorial assistant. The exhibition will be accompanied by a major multi-author catalogue entitled “1898: Visual Culture and U.S. Imperialism in the Caribbean and the Pacific,” co-published by Princeton University Press.

According to curator Kate Lemay, the National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of the United States through the individuals who have shaped American culture. The Portrait Gallery wanted to present Queen Lili‘uokalani’s portrait as a tribute to her legacy during the historical period of the Congressional Joint Resolution to annex Hawai‘i (July 1898).