Persis Goodale Thurston Taylor (September 28, 1821 – April 20, 1906) was a painter and sketch artist.

Biography

Her parents, Reverend

Asa Thurston Asa Thurston (October 12, 1787 – March 11, 1868) was a Protestant missionary from the United States who was part of the first company of American Christian missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands with his wife Lucy Goodale Thurston. Asa Thurston B ...

(1787–1868) and

Lucy Goodale Thurston Lucy Goodale Thurston (October 29, 1795October 13, 1876) was a Protestant missionary and author. She was the wife of Asa Thurston and was one of the first American Christian missionaries to Hawaii. She is noted for her letters documenting her li ...

(1795–1876), were in the first company of American Christian missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands. When she was four, she had been asked to be given in ''

hānai ''Hānai'' is a term used in the Hawaiian culture that refers to the informal adoption of one person by another. It can be used as an adjective, such as "''hānai'' child", or as a verb to ''hānai'' someone into the family. In the Hawaiian cultu ...

'' to Princess Kapulikoliko, daughter of

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. T ...

. Her mother politely refused. The concept of giving a child to be raised by a relative or friend was common in Hawaii, but it horrified the missionaries who preached one doesn't give out their children like puppies. For three years, she lived in

Lahaina, Maui Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Laha ...

, where she assisted in the work of the seminary press at

Lahainaluna School Lahainaluna High School is a public high school with the grades 9-12 located in Lahaina (on the island of Maui). Lahainaluna High School is also a public boarding school. It was founded in 1831 as a Protestant missionary school, originally name ...

. In 1847, she married Rev. Townsend Elijah Taylor of

LaGrange, New York LaGrange ( ) is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 15,975 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the estate of the Marquis de Lafayette. History The town was originally established in 1821 as "Freedo ...

, who was serving as the seaman's chaplain for the Port of Lahaina. Taylor is best known for her landscapes (two of which were made into engravings at the Lahinaluna seminary) and silhouettes of both missionaries and Hawaiian royalty.

Family tree

References

External links

Persis Goodale Thurston Taylor in AskArt.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Persis Goodale Thurston 1821 births 1906 deaths American women painters Painters from Hawaii 19th-century American painters 19th-century American women artists Silhouettists