View of Honolulu from the Catholic Church

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Looking out over Honolulu from the high ground near the Catholic church, this view puts the town's low rooftops, harbor, and surrounding hills in a single frame. Hawaii's capital was a busy trading port by the time such views were made, drawing whalers, merchants, and missionaries from the United States and Europe, and the town's mix of Hawaiian, Western, and Asian residents shows in its growing streets. Churches often stood on rises like this one, so they served as landmarks for ships approaching the harbor. Look for how the buildings step down toward the water, which shows how the settlement grew along the shoreline.

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