David Howard Hitchcock
Encyclopedia
David Howard Hitchcock (1861–1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School
, known for his depictions of Hawaii
.
David Howard Hitchcock was born May 15, 1861 in Hilo, Hawaii
. Since his father was also named David Howard Hitchcock (1831–1899), he generally went by D. Howard Hitchcock.
His mother was Almeda Eliza Widger (1828–1895).
His paternal grandparents were missionaries Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
(1800–1855) and Rebecca Howard (1808–1890).
His father was a lawyer who served in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
,
and his sister Almeda Eliza Hitchcock Moore (1863–1895) was the first woman lawyer in Hawaii.
His uncle Edward Griffin Hitchcock
(1837–1898) married Mary Tenney Castle, daughter of Castle & Cooke
founder Samuel Northrup Castle
.
His cousin once removed (Edward Griffin's grandson) was football player Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.
.
After graduating from Punahou School
, Hitchcock attended Oberlin College
in Ohio
, where he saw his first art exhibition.
Back in Hawaii, he wandered the volcano wilderness with a sketch pad and watercolors. French artist Jules Tavernier
, painting in Hawaii, saw Hitchcock's sketches and convinced him to study art seriously.
After Tavernier's death in 1889 Hitchcock studied painting in Paris
and returned to Hawaii in 1893.
In 1894, Hitchcock became one of the founders of the Kilohana Art League
, an active art program in Honolulu at the turn of the century, exhibiting at least twice a year.
He married Hester Judd Dickson (August 30, 1865–November 24, 1921) on June 16, 1898 at the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, Honolulu
. Her maternal grandfather was Gerrit Parmele Judd (1803–1873), an early missionary physician to Hawaii.
During extensive travels in the 1900s, Hitchcock explored the volcanic regions of the island of Hawaii
, and in July 1907 he made his first visit to the island of Kauai
, where he painted Waimea Canyon
. He toured and painted the island of Maui
in 1915 and 1916. He was a leading member of Hawaii's Volcano School
, and his most important paintings date from about 1905 to 1930.
His paintings were exhibited at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
in Seattle in 1909 (where he was awarded a prize) and at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
in San Francisco in 1915.
In 1919 he painted two murals for the Pan-Pacific Union in Honolulu.
Later he traveled to New York
, painting dramatic views of Hawaii for the new steamers Haleakala and Malolo of the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company
. During the late 1920s, his style became more impressionistic
.
In 1927, he exhibited several paintings at the opening of the Honolulu Academy of Arts
, where he had a retrospective exhibition in 1936. In 1939 he exhibited in the Golden Gate International Exposition
in San Francisco and at the 1939 New York World's Fair
.
in 1941.
He had three children: Howard Harvey Hitchcock born March 26, 1899, Joshua Dickson Hitchcock born February 24, 1901, and Helen Hitchcock Maxon born June 17, 1906.
Hitchcock is credited for bringing home Boy Scouting
from a California
visit around 1910. He worked first with Paul Soper of the YMCA
, and then James A. (Kimo) Wilder to establish Troop 1 and became its first scoutmaster. Hitchcock and Wilder were both artists,
having similar backgrounds in art and travel, even sketching the grounding of the steamship Manchuria together in August, 1906. Wilder was cousin of Hitchcock's wife, and son of steamship company founder Samuel Garner Wilder
.
Hitchcock wrote:
In 1966 his son Harvey donated a painting of the volcano goddess Pele which was displayed in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
visitors center. In 2003 the Volcano Art Center had a special competition for Pele paintings, in an effort to create a more modern and culturally authentic rendering.
The Bernice P. Bishop Museum (Honolulu), The Boston Museum
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
, the Isaacs Art Center
(Waimea, Hawaii), and the Oakland Museum of California
are among the public collections holding paintings by David Howard Hitchcock.
Hitchcock is called the first homegrown artist in Hawaii with international recognition.
).
Volcano School
The Volcano School refers to a group of non-native Hawaiian artists who painted dramatic nocturnal scenes of Hawaii’s erupting volcanoes. Some of the artists also produced watercolors, which, by the nature of the medium, tended to be diurnal...
, known for his depictions of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Life
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Since his father was also named David Howard Hitchcock (1831–1899), he generally went by D. Howard Hitchcock.
His mother was Almeda Eliza Widger (1828–1895).
His paternal grandparents were missionaries Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was an early protestant missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii from the United States. With his three sons, he and his wife started a family that would influence Hawaii's history. He had at least three namesakes in the subsequent generations.-Life:Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was...
(1800–1855) and Rebecca Howard (1808–1890).
His father was a lawyer who served in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
,
and his sister Almeda Eliza Hitchcock Moore (1863–1895) was the first woman lawyer in Hawaii.
His uncle Edward Griffin Hitchcock
Edward Griffin Hitchcock
Edward Griffin "Holy Terror" Hitchcock was a law enforcement officer in the Kingdom of Hawaii, who rose to the position of Marshal of the Republic of Hawaii.-Life:...
(1837–1898) married Mary Tenney Castle, daughter of Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture...
founder Samuel Northrup Castle
Samuel Northrup Castle
Samuel Northrup Castle was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Samuel Northrup Castle was born August 12, 1808 in Cazenovia, New York. His middle name is sometimes spelled "Northrop"...
.
His cousin once removed (Edward Griffin's grandson) was football player Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr. was on the 1913 College Football All-America Team. From an influential missionary family in the Hawaiian Islands, he went insane during World War I.-Biography:...
.
After graduating from Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
, Hitchcock attended Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he saw his first art exhibition.
Back in Hawaii, he wandered the volcano wilderness with a sketch pad and watercolors. French artist Jules Tavernier
Jules Tavernier (painter)
Jules Tavernier was a French painter. He was born in Paris in 1844 and died in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1889. He studied with the French painter, Félix Joseph Barrias , but left France in the 1870s, never to return. Tavernier was employed as an illustrator by Harper's Magazine, which sent him on...
, painting in Hawaii, saw Hitchcock's sketches and convinced him to study art seriously.
After Tavernier's death in 1889 Hitchcock studied painting in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and returned to Hawaii in 1893.
In 1894, Hitchcock became one of the founders of the Kilohana Art League
Kilohana Art League
The Kilohana Art League was formed in 1894 as Honolulu’s first art association. In May 1894, the woodcarver Augusta Graham, the sculptor Allen Hutchinson, and painters D. Howard Hitchcock and Annie H. Park created a forum where local artists could exhibit together and share ideas. Other members...
, an active art program in Honolulu at the turn of the century, exhibiting at least twice a year.
He married Hester Judd Dickson (August 30, 1865–November 24, 1921) on June 16, 1898 at the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, Honolulu
Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, Honolulu
The Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, also commonly known as St. Andrew's Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church in the United States located in the State of Hawaii...
. Her maternal grandfather was Gerrit Parmele Judd (1803–1873), an early missionary physician to Hawaii.
During extensive travels in the 1900s, Hitchcock explored the volcanic regions of the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, and in July 1907 he made his first visit to the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, where he painted Waimea Canyon
Waimea Canyon State Park
Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep, located on the western side of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Waimea is Hawaiian for "reddish water," a reference to the erosion of the canyon's red soil...
. He toured and painted the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
in 1915 and 1916. He was a leading member of Hawaii's Volcano School
Volcano School
The Volcano School refers to a group of non-native Hawaiian artists who painted dramatic nocturnal scenes of Hawaii’s erupting volcanoes. Some of the artists also produced watercolors, which, by the nature of the medium, tended to be diurnal...
, and his most important paintings date from about 1905 to 1930.
His paintings were exhibited at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909, publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest.It was originally planned for 1907, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, but the organizers found out about the Jamestown Exposition being held...
in Seattle in 1909 (where he was awarded a prize) and at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
in San Francisco in 1915.
In 1919 he painted two murals for the Pan-Pacific Union in Honolulu.
Later he traveled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, painting dramatic views of Hawaii for the new steamers Haleakala and Malolo of the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company
Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company
Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company was the company headquartered in Honolulu that ran steam boat service between Hawaiian cities from 1883 until 1947. On January 30, 1929 company founded the subsidiary company Inter-Island Airways that was later renamed to Hawaiian Airlines...
. During the late 1920s, his style became more impressionistic
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
.
In 1927, he exhibited several paintings at the opening of the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, where he had a retrospective exhibition in 1936. In 1939 he exhibited in the Golden Gate International Exposition
Golden Gate International Exposition
The Golden Gate International Exposition , held at San Francisco, California's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was dedicated in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in 1937...
in San Francisco and at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
Death and legacy
Hitchcock died in Honolulu on January 1, 1943 after personally witnessing the Attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
in 1941.
He had three children: Howard Harvey Hitchcock born March 26, 1899, Joshua Dickson Hitchcock born February 24, 1901, and Helen Hitchcock Maxon born June 17, 1906.
Hitchcock is credited for bringing home Boy Scouting
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
from a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
visit around 1910. He worked first with Paul Soper of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, and then James A. (Kimo) Wilder to establish Troop 1 and became its first scoutmaster. Hitchcock and Wilder were both artists,
having similar backgrounds in art and travel, even sketching the grounding of the steamship Manchuria together in August, 1906. Wilder was cousin of Hitchcock's wife, and son of steamship company founder Samuel Garner Wilder
Samuel Garner Wilder
Samuel Gardner Wilder was an American shipping magnate and politician who developed a major transportation company in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Samuel Gardner Wilder was born June 20, 1831 in Leominster, Massachusetts....
.
Hitchcock wrote:
Visiting such men as could be found who were interested I obtained all the data then available with a series of photographs from the East illustrating [Boy Scouts] activities and with these came back to Honolulu where I proceeded to organize a troop (now Troop I) which at first consisted of one patrol. It was later known as the Rainbow troop from the variety of colors represented in its personnel.
In 1966 his son Harvey donated a painting of the volcano goddess Pele which was displayed in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive volcano...
visitors center. In 2003 the Volcano Art Center had a special competition for Pele paintings, in an effort to create a more modern and culturally authentic rendering.
The Bernice P. Bishop Museum (Honolulu), The Boston Museum
The Boston Museum
The Boston Museum is a planned history museum for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The Museum will bring the region's 400-year history into focus, inspiring local residents and visitors from across the globe to explore Boston’s rich heritage, historic sites and cultural attractions...
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, the Isaacs Art Center
Isaacs Art Center
The Isaacs Art Center is a combination of art museum and retail gallery in Waimea on the Island of Hawaii. It is operated by and for the benefit of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy....
(Waimea, Hawaii), and the Oakland Museum of California
Oakland Museum of California
Oakland Museum of California or Oakland Museum is a museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California located in Oakland, California....
are among the public collections holding paintings by David Howard Hitchcock.
Auction record
The auction record for a painting by David Howard Hitchcock is $82,250. This record was set by Windward Oahu, Hawaii, a 12 by 18 inch oil painting on canvas sold May 19, 2006 at Skinner Inc. (BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
).
Further reading
- Ellis, George R. and Marcia Morse, A Hawaii Treasury, Masterpieces from the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Tokyo, Asahi Shimbun, 2000, 151, 224.
- Forbes, David W., Encounters with Paradise: Views of Hawaii and its People, 1778-1941, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1992, 180-233.
- Maxon, Helen Hitchcock, D. Howard Hitchcock, Islander, Honolulu, Topgallant Pub. Co, 1987.
- Severson, Don R. Finding Paradise: Island Art in Private Collections, University of Hawaii Press, 2002.