This woodblock print was created by Charles W. Bartlett in 1920-21. The print was also called Hawaii, The Surf Rider; Surf-Rider. Hawaii; The Surf King; The Duke.
Bartlett published two versions of the single surfer that seem to share many but not all of the same blocks, the first being Hawaii. 1918 (no. 45), the later Hawaii. (no. 46). Although the two prints share the same key block, for the later edition, the date “1918” was removed from it, changing the title to just Hawaii. The prints are also distinguished by among other things in no. 46, the halo or aura surrounding the figure of the here-darker surfer, said to be a depiction of the Olympic swimming champion Duke Kahanamoku, the spray of water covering his feet and greater detail to the water surface. This woodblock is no. 46. (Comments taken from Bartlett’s sketchbook: The surf king.)
Size: 15 1/6” wide and 10 3/8” high (print). Its LC publication date was July 1, 1921. It is signed in graphite, margin: Charles. W.Bartlett.; signed with monogram in key block, printed in red ink, image: CWB (inscribed in a rectangle); titled in key block, printed in red ink. Copyright stamp, margin.
The print was donated to the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation by Becky Carter in memory of her late husband Hartwell Carter of Kamuela, Hawaii on May 14, 1988.
Charles W. Bartlett was one of the most important artists working in Hawai’i during the first half of the 20th century. Born in England in 1860, Bartlett entered the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1883. After three years of study, he entered the Académie Julian in Paris. In 1913, he traveled to Asia with his wife, visiting India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and China before arriving in Japan in 1915.
Bartlett left Japan in 1917, sailing back to England by way of Hawaii. He stopped in Honolulu and ended up settling there for the rest of his life. His paintings and woodblock prints were well-received in Honolulu, allowing Bartlett to become an important figure in the local art world.
Bartlett held a number of one-man shows in Hawai’i and on the U.S. mainland, and his paintings and prints were regularly published in Paradise of the Pacific magazine. In 1928, he co-founded the Honolulu Printmakers. An exhibition of Bartlett’s work was mounted at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in 1939, shortly before his death in 1940.
In 2002, the Honolulu Academy of Arts published A Printmaker in Paradise: The Art and Life of Charles W. Bartlett in tandem with a major retrospective of the same name.
Duke Kahanamoku is remembered as one of Hawaii’s most famous surfers and statesmen. He was an Olympian, actor, and local legend with a great sense of humor and renowned sportsmanship. His passions were swimming, surfing and canoeing. His record-breaking Olympic successes combined with his positive attitude helped to publicize the Hawaiian islands and make them a popular destination. Bartlett painted action portraits of Duke Kahanamoku and other Honolulu residents in addition to Hawaii scenery.