On March 6, 1899, a flock of peacocks on a Waikīkī estate began to wail so loudly that people across the island heard them and knew. Their keeper had just died. She was twenty-three years old, and she was supposed to be queen.

This episode follows the story of Princess Ka'iulani — the last Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii — from the fragrant gardens of her childhood home at 'Āinahau to the halls of the US Capitol, where she fought alone for her people's independence. Along the way, we explore the flowers at the heart of her story: pikake, the jasmine sambac she named after her beloved peacocks, and gardenia, her mother's flower — and what happened to both when the monarchy was gone.

In this episode:

The rise and fall of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani

The life of Princess Ka'iulani: royal heir, activist, and one of history's most overlooked figures

The pikake flower: its Hawaiian origins, olfactive profile, and why jasmine sambac is one of perfumery's most iconic notes

The cultural significance of the lei — and what pikake and gardenia meant in Hawaiian tradition

The complicated legacy of Hawaiian souvenir perfume, including Royal Hawaiian Perfumes (est. 1946)

If you love narrative history, royal biography, fragrance deep-dives, or podcasts like Noble Blood or Tasting History — this one's for you.

🌸 National Fragrance Day offer: 25% off everything at Immortal Perfumes through April 1, 2026. Use code ARCHIVE at checkout. 🛍️ Shop: immortalperfumes.com 🎙️ More about the podcast: scentarchivepod.com 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @immortalperfumes

📷 Photos of Ka'iulani's funeral, including her casket lying in state at 'Āinahau, are linked below.

Sources & Further Reading

Linnéa, Sharon. Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 1999.

Webb, Nancy, and Jean Francis Webb. Ka'iulani: Crown Princess of Hawai'i. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 1998.

de Silva, Kīhei. "Lei Kiele." Ka'iwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center, Kamehameha Schools. https://kaiwakiloumoku.ksbe.edu/article/mele-lei-kiele

Leonhardt, Kenneth W., and Glenn I. Teves. "Pikake: A Fragrant-Flowered Plant for Landscapes and Lei Production." College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, April 2002. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/of-29.pdf

Fullard-Leo, Leslie. Oral history interview, June 12, 1986. University of Hawaiʻi oral history project.

"The Cleghorn: History at Its Base." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 5, 1964.

"Gardenias Didn't Bloom for 2 Years After Princess' Death." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 5, 1952.

"Princess Ka'iulani Special Edition." Pacific Commercial Advertiser, March 13, 1899.

"Fairy." Images of Old Hawaiʻi. https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/fairy/

"How a 19th-Century Scot Married Into Hawaii's Last Royal Family." The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/how-a-19th-century-scot-married-into-hawaiis-last-royal-family-4810013

The Scent Archive is a monthly podcast and companion piece to Immortal Perfumes, a Seattle-based literary micro-perfumery specializing in historically inspired handmade fragrances. Each episode, host and perfumer JT Siems follows her nose to uncover the hidden histories of the perfumed past.

Storical is becoming something new.

Same voice. Same obsession with the past. But from here on, every story runs through scent — because scent is the detail historians keep leaving out, and it changes everything.

The Scent Archive launches on National Fragrance Day, March 21st. Once a month, a deep dive into a historical figure, an event, an object — and the scent running through it like a hidden thread. From the hull of the Titanic to the French Resistance, from royal courts to poisoners who used perfume as a weapon.

The first episode is about a Hawaiian princess, the peacocks she adored, and why the most delicate flower in Hawaiian perfumery carries a bird's name.

I'll see you in the archive.

Theda Bara was the most famous movie star you’ve probably never heard of. One of the first movie stars, America’s first goth, and Hollywood’s first sex symbol, Theda Bara was the epitome of Madame Mystery. Though most of her films have been lost to time, Theda is one of the pioneers of early Hollywood.

More Halloween Episodes:

https://www.immortalperfumes.com/search?q=halloween&f_collectionId=6100b028baebd54735717656

Resources

Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara by Eve Golden: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/741931.Vamp

You Must Remember This Podcast: https://radiopublic.com/you-must-remember-this-G2wdZR/s1!b877a

The Woman with Hungry Eyes: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997110/