This Autochrome screen plate was taken by Fred Payne Clatworthy (1875-1953) in Hilo, Hawaii in 1926. The image depicts an unidentified young woman on a beach. The woman wears a long, grass skirt, and an orange top. Two leis made of orange flowers hang around the woman's neck. She wears additional leis around her wrists and ankles. Another lei is visible on her head. Propped up on one elbow, she lays on her right side in the sand. Her left hand rests on her hip. Her left leg is crossed over her right leg. She looks to the left; her gaze is directed at something off-camera. Thick foliage grows beyond the beach . The above-ground roots of hala trees are visible among the foliage.
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.