The Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, is presented here on a finely printed, divided-back postcard dating from the early to mid-20th century, produced by the esteemed Meriden Gravure Company of Meriden, Connecticut. The front image, rendered in a warm sepia tone characteristic of the period, captures the museum’s original Romanesque Revival structure, distinguished by its rough-hewn stone masonry, a prominent central tower, and arched entranceways. The sky above the building exhibits a small, dark circular stain, and a faint reddish-brown spot is visible in the lower grassy area, while a subtle vertical crease near the top edge and minor wear at the corners attest to the card’s age and handling. The verso provides a wealth of historical and personal context. Printed text identifies the institution as the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, founded by Charles R. Bishop in memory of his wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi, the last direct descendant of King Kamehameha I. The Meriden Gravure Company, a firm renowned for its high-quality collotype and gravure printing processes, produced this card, lending it a refined, collectible quality. The handwritten message, penned in a clear, legible cursive, is addressed to “Dad” and offers a vivid endorsement of the museum’s ethnographic collections. The sender writes that the museum has “excellent exhibit from all of Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia,” further opining that one can gain “a better idea of the Pacific races in this institution than you can in the Pacific itself.” The staff is described as “most expert & very friendly.” This personal testimony provides a rare glimpse into early 20th-century tourism and the perceived educational value of such institutions, emphasizing the museum’s role as a preeminent repository of Pacific cultural heritage. The card bears no postmark or stamp, suggesting it may have been enclosed in an envelope or never mailed. The combination of the museum’s distinguished founding narrative, the technical quality of the Meriden Gravure printing, and the insightful handwritten commentary makes this postcard a compelling artifact of Hawaiian and Pacific history.
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