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Primary sourceArtifact1895

Imprisonment Quilt

Liliʻuokalani · 1895

A patchwork quilt made by Liliʻuokalani and her attendants while she was imprisoned at ʻIolani Palace in 1895.

A quilt she made with her attendants during her 1895 imprisonment, recording memories of her captivity in embroidery.

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Photograph of a large patchwork quilt with nine square blocks in a three by three grid, bordered in dark brown. Blocks feature crazy-quilt piecing in varied fabrics, embroidery, and embroidered text, with a central block of blue and red fabric bearing printed script.
Queen Liliʻuokalani Quilt, made during her 1895 imprisonment. ʻIolani Palace, Imprisonment Room.

About this source

What it is

A large patchwork quilt made by Queen Liliʻuokalani during her imprisonment in 1895. It has nine crazy-quilt blocks, pieced from varied fabrics and decorated with embroidery, including embroidered text, held in the Imprisonment Room.

Why it matters

Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned at ʻIolani Palace following the 1895 counterrevolution. Making this quilt with her attendants during her captivity shows how she and those around her used needlework to mark time, record memories, and endure confinement. It is a rare physical object connecting directly to her imprisonment.

Look closer

  • Why might embroidering text and dates onto fabric matter to someone held in captivity?
  • What does the choice of varied, mismatched fabrics suggest about the conditions of her imprisonment?
  • Who do you think helped make this quilt, and why might that matter?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Queen Liliʻuokalani on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Liliuokalani in 1891

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Black-and-white photograph of people climbing stone steps toward a palace. A woman in a dark dress is at the center, flanked by men in dark suits and hats. Horse-drawn carriages with canopies stand on a dirt road, a mounted rider is in the background, and a tall street lamp stands by the steps. Trees and a white colonial building are behind. The number 53 is written in the lower right corner.Photograph

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