The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-12-08
K1LAUEA.
Panorama Of the Great Hawaiian Vol
cano in Activity

For some time past notices have
been appearing in the papers of pano-
rama painting of the Volcano of XII
lauea being made by Mr.. Jules Taver-
ner whose smaller paintings of Ha-
waits wonder have added so much to
his fame as an artist. Yesterday the
work was placed on public exhibition
for the first time, and last evening the
HERALD representative drank in what
can only be denominated the sublime
scene.
The panorama is mounted on the
second floor of the Beaver block, en-
trance from Queen street, a;large trans
parency sign at the outside door show
ing the place. On going upstairs the
visitor enters cavernous looking cir
cular tent, the outside of which is
draped with flags, When within he
finds himself on platform with an en-
thralling view meeting his sight which
ever way his eyes are directed. In
short, the painters magic art, assisted
by skilful arrangement of lights and
screens, suspends the observer at an
elevation above the majestic caldera OF
Kilauea from whence the whole stupen-
dous system of molten lakes and fiery
fountains may be taken in with one cir
cling glance.
The canvas describes circumfer-
ence of ninety feet and is eleven feet
high, but the artist makes one focus
his eyes for a perspective of many
miles. With an annular screen above
the platform, and field of pahoehoe
represented by dark glossy cloth sur.
rounding it, the illusion produced is
really startling. The panorama repre-
sents the volcano in the highly active
state Of the period just anterior to the
collapse of March last. In front of the
entrance the swrling and bubbing and
spouting surface Of the New Lake i.
presented. A little to the right but
forward is the abyss of Halemaumau
with its vast, superheated, beetlinl
crags of calcined basaltic rock towering
hundreds of feet above the huge cal
dron of suffering liquid lava. The
weird and fantastic Little Beggar, witt
wells and caverns of flowing lire abou
its base, stands sentinel to the left o
Halemaumau. Perched on its loft,
site, overlooking the PERCEPTIONS WALL
of the caldera, in the left front, the
Volcano House is seen with cheerin,
CLEAN from its windows to guide tn,
explorers back to its grateful shelter
Just below it on the observers RICH
appears the extinct crater of Kilauea
Xxi; on the left the rugged peak o
Mauna Kea meets the sky while owe
the entrance rises in its gradual ascen
and awful dignity the snow-crowne,
monarch mountain Mauna loa. Ava
IN the distance over the New Lake tn
shimmering sea, with the repose a:
sumed at such far view, bears
steamer and few heecy sails on ii
blue surface.
1t would be impossible to exaggerat
the wealth of color thrown into thi
magnificent painting, but those who La
seen smaller works of Mr.. Tavernler o
this subject will not need to be told {
the heat, the glow, the fame and tn
reflection impaired by his penci
Equally well has the artist depicted tn
more sober tints of the environment
of the fiery scene, the wooded slope
and banks covered with vegetation, an
the steam and sulphurous vapor risin
from the ground above the cliffs.
Altogether the panorama is enchan
ingly realistic, affording such a study {
the volcano as hitherto might hav
been thought impossible of attainment
without visit to the reality. How
ever turbulent the fire fountains ma
wax in the future, they will never az
pear in Just the same way as before th
recent great change. Therefore,
representation of the caldera of X
lauea as it was during the last prev
GUS active period, on such gran
scale as this masterpiece, has yer
great historic value. The showing {
such picture abroad would be wort
more than volumes of literary descriE
ton of Hawaii's prime attraction fc
tourists.
Messsrs. Shipman and Stone ar
managing the exhibition in this city.