Omai, A Native of Ulaietea (1774) by Nathaniel Dance and Francesco Bartolozzi (engraver)National Portrait Gallery
After a journey that began on the island of Huahine in Polynesia and carried him halfway around the world aboard a British ship, the pioneering traveler Mai arrived in London in 1774.
While Mai had traveled to England hoping to forge diplomatic relationships that would help him reclaim his homeland, he quickly became a celebrity in one of Europe’s largest cities.
Omiah the Indian from Otaheite presented to their Majesties at Kew by Mr Banks & Dr Solander, July 17, 1774 (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of National Library of Australia) (1774)The J. Paul Getty Museum
On just his second day, Mai was introduced to King George III. As news of his arrival spread across the city’s elite circles, he became a frequent guest at banquets, dinners, the theater, and government functions.
Mai (Omai), Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander (collection of National Portrait Gallery, London) by William ParryThe J. Paul Getty Museum
In England, Mai was both celebrated and scrutinized for his differences. In this portrait, he is shown with Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, two naturalists who traveled with Captain Cook to study plant and animal species of the South Pacific.
Banks points to Mai’s tattooed hands while Solander appears to record the information.
Mai’s confident gaze and authoritative stance, however, suggest the power he held as a cultural intermediary.
Sir Joshua Reynolds, the leading portrait painter in England, likely met Mai through shared social circles. Recognizing Mai’s remarkable presence and the fascination around him, in 1776 Reynolds began work on what would become the most iconic portrait of Mai.
Perhaps feeling the pressure of portraying someone so different from his typical European subjects, Reynolds made this preparatory study, an unusual step for him.
Reynolds’s life-size portrait of Mai was unveiled at the 1776 Royal Academy Exhibition in London. The oil painting was remarkable in its representation of a non-Western figure on a scale that had typically been reserved for European aristocrats and statesmen.
Portrait of Mai (“Omai”) (Purchased jointly with National Portrait Gallery, London) (1776) by Sir Joshua ReynoldsThe J. Paul Getty Museum
While he portrayed Mai in a style associated with European grand portraiture, Reynolds also highlighted his Pacific heritage, including his tattoos, which in Mai’s culture were powerful symbols of family, tribe, and status . . .
. . . as well as his Polynesian robes made of barkcloth, a material associated with social status and ritual ceremonies.
Believing it was among his greatest achievements as a portrait artist, Reynolds kept the painting in his studio for the remainder of his life.
The Thames and the Adelphi (collection of Yale Center for British Art) by Attributed to William HodgesThe J. Paul Getty Museum
After two years in England, Mai would again join Cook on a voyage destined to return him home to Polynesia. Writing in his journal, Cook described Mai’s (who sometimes went by the name Omai) emotional departure:
I observed that Omai left London with a Mixture of regret and joy; in speaking of England and such persons as had honoured him [with] their protection and friendship he would be very low spirited and with difficulty refrain from tears; but turn the conversation to his Native country and his eyes would sparkle with joy.
On July 12, 1776, Mai set sail aboard the Resolution, occupying a cabin that adjoined Captain Cook’s.
Ships of James Cook at Christmas Harbour, Kerguelen Islands, December 1776 (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of David Rumsey Map Collection) (1784) by John WebberThe J. Paul Getty Museum
The ship made its way to the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands, dubbed “Desolation Islands” for its inhospitably cold climate. While likely the bleakest place Mai had yet seen, the sight of penguins, elephant seals, and albatrosses must have been an exciting reminder of the vastness of the world beyond the Pacific.
Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound (circa 1788) by John Webber (artist)Te Papa
On December 30, the crew left sub-Antarctica for New Zealand. Though the climate was kinder, tensions were high when Cook returned to the site near Grass Cove, where years prior many of his men were killed by the Māori people.
Remarkably, peace was kept on this occasion, and Captain Cook even had his ship’s artist, John Webber, draw a portrait of the chief, Kahura.
An Inland View in Atooi, One of the Sandwich Islands (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.) (1785) by Unknown author; based on a 1778 etching after John Webber published by William HodgesThe J. Paul Getty Museum
The journey ahead included uncharted waters. Cook and his men soon became the first Europeans to encounter the Hawaiian Islands.
Stopping on the island of Kaua‘i (which they called Atooi), Cook describes in his journals that Mai regaled the people there with tales of his time in England, answered their questions, and boasted about the power of Britain’s weaponry.
The Inside of the House, in the Morai, in Atooi (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London) (1778) by Engraving by Edmund Scott after a drawing by John WebberThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Recording practices of faith was a major research interest of the voyage. Eager to document the customs of the people of Kaua‘i, John Webber made several sketches of religious sites and rituals, including this image of a house of worship.
'Resolution' and 'Discovery' at Huaheine (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Presented by Captain A. W. F. Fuller through The Art Fund) by John Cleveley the YoungerThe J. Paul Getty Museum
After more than a year aboard Cook’s HMS Resolution, which took Mai to Spain, South Africa, across the Indian Ocean and into the South Pacific, he settled back where his journey began on the island of Huahine in October 1777.
Though the British supplied Mai with tools and livestock, and built him a European-style house on the island (seen in the center of this image with an unfinished roof), Cook declined to provide him with the level of military support he had hoped for.
After his return, Mai made an unsuccessful attempt to retake Raiatea from the Bora Borans. His life, marked by extraordinary travels and historic encounters, was ultimately cut short in 1780. Still only in his late twenties, Mai died, possibly after contracting an illness.
Portrait of Mai (“Omai”) (Purchased jointly with National Portrait Gallery, London) (1776) by Sir Joshua ReynoldsThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Reynolds’s portrait preserves Mai’s story as a pioneering traveler whose life bridged Polynesia and Britain. It also memorializes a broader cultural moment, reflecting the fascination that Cook’s voyages sparked among British audiences.
This monumental portrait ensured that Mai’s story would endure, even as questions remain about the complex person behind the image.
Start from the beginning with A Journey into the Life of Mai: Part I
© 2026 The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
For more resources:
https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/walker/index.html
For more resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYvjjZFpXcA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYvjjZFpXcA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZ5WmxjxpE
To cite this exhibition, please use: "A Journey into the Life of Mai: Part II" published online in 2026 via Google Arts & Culture, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
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