‘Where is the suitable trail’: Politics and piety in portrait photographs of Emma Rooke, 1864–66

This article analyses how photographs of Queen Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke made between 1864 and 1866 were connected to her pursuit of a pono (proper, virtuous) path forward for herself and her people after the deaths of her son and husband. The article opens with the mele makena (lament) ‘No Waiʻaleʻale Ke Aloha’, which invites new ways of thinking about portrait photographs of Queen Emma in the wake of these tremendous personal and political losses. Following this it addresses the connections between photographs of Emma and Hawaiian mourning and memorialization before delving into a discussion of the ways photography was entangled with her political and religious goals. These goals included establishing the Anglican mission in Hawaiʻi and developing a lifelong friendship with Queen Victoria. There are notable similarities within photographs of these two queens suggesting that photography enabled Queen Emma to tap into the mana (power) associated with Queen Victoria and Christian feminine power. The careful cultivation of her self-image in portrait photographs became a significant form of empowerment for Emma. The final section continues discussing this photographic co-mingling through the lens of international fellowship. It considers how Queen Emma used gifts of photography to create a kin-like relationship between herself and Queen Victoria, recalling the discussions of religion and mourning addressed in previous parts of the article.