This Autochrome screen plate was taken by Fred Payne Clatworthy (1875-1953) in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1926. The image depicts a young man wearing a feather helmet and an ʻAhu ʻula, or Hawaiian feather cloak. In Hawaii, these cloaks were traditionally worn by the men of the aliʻi, the chiefly class of Hawaii The young man stands with his back to the camera and looks to the left. He holds a long wooden pole in his left hand. The feather cloak extends from the man's shoulders to his shins. The cloak is red with a yellow diamond motif. Yellow trim is visible along the bottom edge of the cloak. The feather helmet that the man wears on his head is also red. The top of the tuft on the helmet is yellow.
In 1926, Clatworthy spent six weeks in Hawaii on a trip sponsored by the Matson Navigation Company. On Febuary 17,1926, Clatworthy departed from California for Hawaii on board the Malolo, a Matson Navigation Company steamship. During his time in Hawaii, Clatworthy captured Autochrome images of scenes on Hawaii (Island), Lehua, Kauai, and Oahu. Several of these images were featured in the Matson Navigation Company's travel publication, Aloha.
Fred Payne Clatworthy was a photographer and public lecturer who worked mostly out of Estes Park, Colorado during the first half of the twentieth century. Clatworthy was known for his mastery of the Autochrome screen plate, an early color photography format. In exchange for image use rights to Clatworthy's Autochromes, railways and transportation companies often sent him on all-expenses-paid photo assignments to various locations. In addition, approximately 100 of Clatworthy's Autochromes appeared in the pages of National Geographic Magazine between 1923 and 1934. From 1917 to 1934, Clatworthy regularly toured the United States, presenting Autochromes to the public in slide lectures. Some of his most notable venues included the Smithsonian Institution, the Field Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and Carnegie Museum. Between Clatworthy’s lectures and published images, his work was seen by over ten million people in over 160 countries. Clatworthy also served as the official photographer for the Stanley Hotel, Covenant Heights, and the Rocky Mountain Young Men's Christian Association during the early half of the twentieth century. In addition to his photography work, Clatworthy also had several business interests in the Estes Park area including "Ye Littel Shop,," a curio store that sold furniture, produce, Kodak cameras, film, and Clatworthy’s own images of the area. This image is part of the Fred Payne Clatworthy collection (Ph.00560). This image is a digital surrogate; appearance of original object may vary.