author
James Jackson Jarves
1818–1888
Best known as an early American art critic and collector, he helped introduce Italian Renaissance painting to U.S. audiences. His career also ranged widely, from journalism in Hawaiʻi to writing influential books on art and travel.
1 Audiobook
Kiana: a Tradition of Hawaii
by James Jackson Jarves
About the author
James Jackson Jarves (1818–1888) was an American journalist, writer, art critic, and collector born in Boston. He spent part of the 1840s in Hawaiʻi, where he founded and edited The Polynesian, a newspaper that became closely tied to public life in the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Later, he settled for long periods in Europe and became especially known for his passion for Italian art. He is often remembered as one of the first Americans to collect early Italian paintings in a serious way, at a time when many of those works were still overlooked by other collectors.
Jarves also wrote widely on art, culture, and travel. His books and collecting helped shape early American interest in Renaissance painting, and his collection eventually became important to museum history in the United States.