David Howard Hitchcock was an important Hawaiian landscapist, known for his paintings of volcanoes, his large dioramas and mural sized canvases of island scenes. His paintings showed the many sides of Hawaii. From the bold and fierce volcanoes to the calm and soothing landscapes, his work prompted many tourists to visit the island.

He was born in Hilo, Hawaii and became the first Hawaii-born painter to travel to Paris to study. He continued to be ahead of the trend as he was also one of the first to paint the Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai. He painted many small plein-air studies to aid in creating his monumental works which used a conservative impressionist style. Exposure to modern art lead him to experiment with modernizing his landscapes, but he soon returned to his old ways which was much more successful. He became well known, joined many art leagues and clubs, and was exhibited around the country. On his 75th birthday, he was given a retrospective exhibition at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He remained in Honolulu until his death in 1943.