Hawai‘i, Panorama of a Whaling Voyage: (Roll 4, Section 1)
Explore Hawai‘i in the Final Roll of the Panorama, Highlighting Indigenous Peoples and Their Lives
"The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 4, Section 38/44 (1848) by Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce PurringtonNew Bedford Whaling Museum
In this section of the "Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World", created by Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce Purrington in 1848, you'll experience a portrayal of a whaling voyage that spans the globe.
As the Panorama moves into the North Pacific, we see the islands of Hawai‘i. Here, the artists show how traditional architecture of the islands was gradually being replaced by Western-style buildings, reflecting the growing influence of the United States in the region.
Voyage MapNew Bedford Whaling Museum
"Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World"
This highlighted section of the voyage is depicted here on this line. Scroll through this story to continue the voyage.
"The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 4, Section 38/44 (1848) by Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce PurringtonNew Bedford Whaling Museum
Section 38 of 44
Beginning of Roll Four
Moving into the North Pacific, the next port of call is the Hawaiian Islands. Kealakekua Bay on the western side of the Big Island of Hawaii, or Owhyhee. The artists convey the beauty of the islands with their high volcanic peaks and waterfalls.
In this view of Kealakekua Bay, the artists recall maritime history. This is where English explorer James Cook famously met his end in 1779. The scene was copied from the frontispiece of James Jackson Jarves's History of the Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands (Boston, 1844).
"The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 4, Section 39/44 (1848) by Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce PurringtonNew Bedford Whaling Museum
Section 39 of 44
Lahaina
While the Big Island of Hawai‘i offered certain amenities to whalers, the important seaports of the group included Honolulu on Oahu, and Lahaina on Maui.
Features of interest in this view of Lahaina include (at center) a two-story structure built in the 1830s for King Kamehameha III as a quiet residence outside of the town. The U.S. State Department leased it in 1844 and operated a Seamen’s Hospital there.
As far as the appearance of Lahaina, by the 1840s, much of the traditional architecture of Hawai‘i was being replaced by Western styles; note, for instance, the number of windows shown in the houses. indigenous huts, called hale made of pili grass were windowless.
Also visible on the left side is the two-story coral-stone dwelling with verandahs built for the American missionary Charles Stewart by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions around 1828. On the hill behind the Stewart house is the Lahainaluna Seminary.
"The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 4, Section 40/44 (1848) by Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce PurringtonNew Bedford Whaling Museum
Section 40 of 44
The ship Abraham H. Howland is shown here heading in to Lahaina, September 26, 1847. On this voyage, the ship would return to New Bedford in April, 1848 carrying the missionaries Cochran and Rebecca Forbes home, after a stay of fifteen years in Lahaina.
Ships are shown bound towards the Northwest Coast of North America. The American whaling fleet began cruising regularly on the right whaling grounds of the Northwest Coast in the mid-1830s. By the mid-1840s, it became a destination of its own.
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