Ka’ahumanu, queen consort of Kamehameha I, wielded enormous political power; she was the king’s favorite wife and, later, held the office of Kuhina Nui, a regency position created especially for her. In this role, she dismantled the oppressive kapu system. She was also instrumental in disseminating Christianity in Hawaii, having welcomed the Protestant missionaries in the 1820s and encouraged her subjects to convert.

This is one of Madge Tennent’s boldest works, in terms of its commentary about the clash between the Native Hawaiians and missionary influence. Ka’ahumanu serenely dominates the canvas, utterly indifferent to the diminutive, fully-clothed male missionary figure standing far in the distance.