Charles Furneaux

Charles Furneaux was an American landscape and portrait painter, photographer and educator. He is best known for his paintings in Hawaii, especially those of erupting volcanoes. Much of his work focused on depictions of Kilauea. He is considered a figure in the Volcano School.

Life and career

He was born in 1835, in Boston. For many years he lived in the town of Melrose, Massachusetts. He became a drawing instructor and exhibited in that area.
In 1880, Furneaux moved to the Republic of Hawaii, where he cultivated the friendship of King Kalakaua and other members of the Hawaiian royal family, from whom he later received several commissions. While living in Honolulu he taught at the private schools Punahou and Iolani School. In 1885, he received the order of Chevalier of Kapiolani from King Kalakaua in 'recognition of his services in advancing Hawaiian art'. In later life, he turned from painting to photography.
He was also active in Hawaiian governmental affairs. In 1895, he was listed as a Consular Officer serving as an agent in Hilo for the U.S. government for the Hawaiian Islands.
He died in 1913 in Hawaii.

Works, Collections and Sales

In the late 1880s, he was commissioned in Honolulu by Alexander Joy Cartwright, widely credited as the "father of baseball" and another dear friend of King Kalakaua, to paint the only oil portrait of his 72-year life.
The Bishop Museum, the Lyman Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, Iolani Palace, and the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum are among the public collections holding Hawaiian landscape works mainly Volcano School by Charles Furneaux.
The auction record for a painting by Charles Furneaux is $17,260. This record was set by Kilauea, a 16 by 24 inch oil painting on canvas sold Oct. 28, 1999 at Christie's.