#Sandwich Islands

[luminous-void]

Jules Tavernier, Kilauea Caldera, Sandwich Islands, 1886

[shannonselin]

Queen Kamamalu of the Sandwich Islands, portrait based on an 1824 lithograph by John Hayter

One of the things I try to bring out in Napoleon in America is how Europeans in the early 19th century tended to regard Native Americans and other indigenous people as exotic savages. Such views are illustrated by the tragic visit of the King and Queen of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) to England in 1824. 

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamamalu travelled to London hoping to meet King George IV. However, there was disagreement over the propriety of receiving the King of the Sandwich Islands at Court. The newspaper John Bull expressed the negative side of the argument.

The COURIER last week published a paragraph explaining that the King of the Sandwich Islands has got five brigs in his navy, instead of five canoes; and told us, moreover, that his territories exceed in size all our West Indian Colonies; that they are civilized, accomplished, &c. &c. &c. What the object of all this puffing may be, we really are at a loss to understand; but the effect produced by the quackery of treating these people as European monarchs are treated may be perceived by an extract from some evening paper, which is copied into Saturday’s CHRONICLE. With respect to the man being a King at all, we deny the fact – there is no King of the Sandwich Islands – it is a matter of history and matter of fact that ‘the islands are not united under one sovereign’ – this person is therefore a chief, to whom we should afford the rights of hospitality, but to whom we should not show a respect and deference which are not due to him, and which applied to such a person become absurd and ridiculous. Her Majesty, it is said, committed an extraordinary solecism at a party some few evenings since – and ‘it was well it was no worse’ was the general observation upon it – but at present their Majesties have gotten the measles, which will detain them within doors.

Measles did more than detain their Majesties; the disease – which was then non-existent in the Sandwich Islands – killed them. 

The Queen died first, on July 8, 1824, at the age of 22. She was, to the last,

quite sensible and composed. The King took his last farewell about 10 o’clock in the morning, previously to which she informed him that she was sensible she was dying, and was quite resigned. Their separation was truly affecting.  (The Times, July 10, 1824)

John Bull opined as follows:

We certainly did not anticipate so tragical a termination to the absurd farce which has been acted, in which these poor creatures have been the principal performers – and yet the smallest consideration would have prepared us for the event. A group of savages are suddenly transported from their huts in their native climate, to a pent-up hotel in the dense smoke of London – their limbs, for decency’s sake, straitened and confined in European clothing, their hours of rising and sleeping wholly changed, their food suddenly altered from yams and plantains to rich soups and fricandeaux, and all the melancholy attempts at cookery of which the kitchen of the hotel in which they have been confined is susceptible – the pure limpid stream, their wonted beverage, supplanted by the mixture of Buxton, or Whithbead, or Calvert, or some other such Whig-washery, in which, together with wines and spirits, the poor creatures have been of course allowed to revel with unlimited and savage profusion – the consequence is, the poor female dies first, and in all probability will shortly be followed by the male.

The paper was right. King Kamehameha II died on July 14, 1824, at the age of 27. 

For more details about their visit, and what happened to their bodies, see "When the King & Queen of the Sandwich Islands Visited England."

[calliehall]

Hawaiian Sandwiches - Eggs

An unusual layered brunch sandwich, old family weekend favorite. A delicious flavor combination of bacon, cheese and pineapple. You'll see why they call Hawaii the Sandwich Islands!

[rubiroberts]

Hawaiian Sandwiches - Eggs

An unusual layered brunch sandwich, old family weekend favorite. A delicious flavor combination of bacon, cheese and pineapple. You'll see why they call Hawaii the Sandwich Islands!

[kauniste]

Eggs - Hawaiian Sandwiches Recipe

An unusual layered brunch sandwich, old family weekend favorite. A delicious flavor combination of bacon, cheese and pineapple. You'll see why they call Hawaii the Sandwich Islands!

[whatshouldbuffscallme]

Hawaiian Sandwiches - Eggs

An unusual layered brunch sandwich, old family weekend favorite. A delicious flavor combination of bacon, cheese and pineapple. You'll see why they call Hawaii the Sandwich Islands!

[bakermia]

Breakfast Sandwich - Hawaiian Sandwiches An unusual layered brunch sandwich, old family weekend favorite. A delicious flavor combination of bacon, cheese and pineapple. You'll see why they call Hawaii the Sandwich Islands!

[databeers-mlg]

Hawaiian Sandwiches - Eggs

An unusual layered brunch sandwich, old family weekend favorite. A delicious flavor combination of bacon, cheese and pineapple. You'll see why they call Hawaii the Sandwich Islands!

[lustingfood]

Pastrami Reuben (x)

[caitkaminski]

me ready to forgive Hamish 6 minutes after finding out about him and Melissa because HE GOT SAD and curled up in his blankie and hated himself and told mc his dad would like her and she’s pretty and I-

[newyorkthegoldenage]

A family eating sandwiches on the beach at Coney Island, July 22, 1950.

Photo: NY Daily News/Getty Images

[evilwvergil]

🥪🥞

[nashvillethotchicken]

Reading tvl is like watching those traumadump candy salad tiktoks but instead of embarrassing high school antics it's just everything bad that happens to them lil gay boys in a Hanya Yanagihara book with a lmao or a 🤣 sprinkled in between the horrors

[knock-off-krolmeister]

Slowly remaking the jellyfish specimen sandwich.

[the-chance-wizard]

In a collaboration with @the-shrimp-that-fried-rice, my sandwich shop

Possibly a sandwitch

Has a new sandwich available

The fried rice sandwich

Available at all not a sandwitch restaurants (because there is only one)

[meyerlansky]

so where in nyc do we think curt's from specficially

manhattan feels too easy and brooklyn feels accurate to me but a little Typical, and i'll be honest and say i don't actually know enough about queens and the bronx individually in the early 20thc to say with any certainty

this is important because it impacts how much of a hassle it is for him to drag bucky up to yankee stadium once they're back stateside. like he's gonna do it no matter what purely to send bucky into raptures of joy, but if it's next door it'd be easier to drag gale along too, whereas if it's brooklyn to bronx he's just gonna stay at curt's place and shoot the shit with mama biddick instead of riding the subway for two fucking hours to go look at some fucking grass