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Primary sourceArtifact1847

Washington Place

Isaac Hart · 1847

A Greek Revival home in Honolulu that was Liliʻuokalani's private residence from her marriage until her death, and the site of her arrest in 1895.

Her home from 1862 until her death in 1917, and the place where she was arrested during the overthrow.

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Two-story white colonial-style mansion with a wide columned veranda on the upper and lower floors, a dark shingled roof, and large flagpoles flying flags in front. A large banyan tree with aerial roots stands on the left of the lawn, and palm trees and green grass surround the building under a blue sky.
Washington Place, Honolulu, built 1847.

About this source

What it is

Washington Place is a Greek Revival house in Honolulu, built in the 1840s for Mary Dominis. It later became the home of Liliʻuokalani after she married John Owen Dominis in 1862, and she inherited it in 1891. It still stands today and later served as the Hawaiʻi governor's residence.

Why it matters

This house was the private world behind Liliʻuokalani's public life as queen. It was here that she was arrested in 1895 after being accused of concealing a plot against the new government, and it was here she lived under confinement afterward and eventually died. The building connects her story to the wider overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Look closer

  • What does the size and style of the house suggest about the wealth and connections of the people who lived there?
  • Why might a private home, rather than a prison, be used to confine a deposed monarch?
  • What is missing from a photograph of a building that a written account could tell us?

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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Black-and-white studio portrait of a woman standing full length beside an upholstered chair with a fur-like back, wearing a light pale gown with ruffled trim, a long train pooling on the floor, a dark sash across her chest with a decorative badge, and a necklace. Painted backdrop of foliage behind her.Book

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Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen

Liliʻuokalani · 1898

Page of the 1898 Joint Resolution to Provide for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, handwritten annotation 'Public Resolution No. 51' at top, with printed text of the resolution's preamble and sections below.Document

Primary source

Joint Resolution to Provide for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States

United States Congress · 7 July 1898

Sheet music cover for 'Aloha Oe', reading 'Aloha Oe. Song and Chorus', with an ornate border, a crown and 'Oniipaa' monogram emblem, and text 'Composed by Her Royal Highness Princess Liliuokalani, of Honolulu, Oahu, H.I.' Published by The Pacific Music Co., 208 Post St., San Francisco, Cal.Artifact

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Aloha ʻOe

Liliʻuokalani · c. 1877-1878

Black-and-white studio portrait of a seated woman in a dark dress with lace trim at the bodice, hands folded in her lap, wearing rings. She sits in an ornate carved wooden armchair with upholstered back and arms against a pale paneled backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

Liliuokalani in 1891

James J. Williams · 1891

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.Artifact

Primary source

Imprisonment Quilt

Liliʻuokalani · 1895

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