We Three Kings!

Parades and celebration honor King Kamehameha I, founder and unifier of the Hawaiian kingdom, on this state holiday in Hawaii.

"We Three Kings" is the intriguing tale of three sculptures of King Kamehameha I that have been reported through our nationwide initiative Save Outdoor Sculpture!

The story begins in 1878 when American sculptor Thomas Ridgway Gould (1818–81) was commissioned to make a sculpture of King Kamehameha I to go in front of the Ali`iolani Hale (now the state supreme court) in Honolulu. Gould shipped the finished bronze by boat. Before it reached its destination, the boat and its cargo sank near the Falkland Islands. A second sculpture, shown here adorned with leis, was cast and installed in Honolulu in February 1883. Meanwhile, the original sculpture, shown below, was salvaged. It is now located in Kapaau, Hawaii. The third sculpture of King Kamehameha I was cast from a mold of the Honolulu statue and placed in the United States Capitol in April 1969.

Members of the Hawi community in Hawaii hold an annual celebration in mid-June to celebrate King Kamehameha I's reign from 1753 to 1819. As part of the celebrations, the bronze sculpture in Kapaau, shown here, is given a lifelike coat of paint. Save Outdoor Sculpture! recently awarded a grant to conserve the sculpture of King Kamehameha I. Save Outdoor Sculpture! is sponsored by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Heritage Preservation.

Pictured top: Thomas Ridgeway Gould, 1818–1881, King Kamehameha I, cast 1881, dedicated February 14, 1883, bronze with gold leaf, State of Hawaii, Ali'iolani Hale, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Pictured bottom: Thomas Ridgeway Gould, 1818–1881, King Kamehameha I, cast 1879 or 1880, dedicated May 8, 1883, bronze with oil base enamel, State of Hawaii, Kohala Civic Center, Kapaau, Hawaii.