EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE — HAWAII / HAWAIIAN — ISLAND CURIO COMPANY BUSINESS ADVERTISING CARD —JAMES STEINER, F.H. MCNAMARRA & D.A. MCNAMARRA — Circa 1912, MINT / NEAR MINT CONDITION
An exceedingly scarce, original Island Curio Company business or advertising card, circa 1912, in near mint to mint condition. Currently, we are unable to find any antique Island Curio Company business cards for sale, save the existence of one card held in a private collection. The card was found between the pages of "The Legends and Myths of Hawaii" from 1888, keeping it in mint to near mint condition. The image appears to be that of the first Queen Regent, and the last reigning monarch of the kingdom of Hawai'i, Lili'uokalani. The Island Curio company was a merger between the Hawaiian early 20th century mogul James Steiner and F.H and D.A, McNamarra who merged in 1912 to create the Island Curio Company. The company was Hawaii's major producer of postcards which are highly collectable today. Hawaii witnessed profound social and cultural changes, devastating for Hawaiian culture, during the turn of the century — revealing this as a fascinating historical document. Please see below for more information on the Island Curio Company.
"The Island Curio Company was a major producer of postcards. Whether or not the subjects depicted on postcards had originally posed for the photographs that were sources for the cards, once imaged on postcards, these subjects became mass commodities in a visual economy of images that linked Hawai‘i with America and Europe. From mass production and sale in Hawai‘i, the postcards became individual or private objects for the purchasers and the ultimate recipients. (UH) They sold more than postcards … “Next to the Bishop Museum, the greatest and best Polynesian collection, is that of the Island Curio Company with its headquarters on Hotel Street, Honolulu … (and) for nearly half a century has been stacking up these native curios from almost every part of the island." (Mid-Pacific Magazine) Biography of James Steiner – July 24th 2016.
