Literature

Illustrated in the book, John Melville Kelly: Hawaiian Idyll, p. 81-82. Author Natasha Roessler Drucker's description reads:

"Leilani (Kalaeloa) Paulson and her two older sisters, Kuulei and Luana, frequently posed for Kelly, who often took his family's Hawaiian friends and neighbors as his models. Leilani appears in some of Kelly's most popular prints, including this, which is known by multiple titles (Ewalani.Hawaii and Nanea on the Beach are but two), as well as others, such as Hawaiian Decoration and Lei Maker, the basis of a menu cover commissioned by the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

"Kate Kelly (the artist's wife) assisted Kelly by taking photographs of his models outside as well as in the studio, and she shot several of Leilani and Luana as they posed on the beach. There is a photograph (on page 83) that illustrates the two women standing side by side (Leilani on the left) adjusting their pareus. It underlies the creation of the print, at far left, (on page 82) in which Kelly depicts just Leilani, unselfconsciously absorbed in her task."