If you look at the notes on the frets, you can see that it is tuned to an open Chord.
It is clearly labelled as a Hawaiian guitar, but the action looks a little low to be played with a steel slide, and the frets are actual wire, not just position marks.
So my guess is that it is meant for playing Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar style.
It is a fingerpick style with lots of pull-offs and hammer-ons in which melody lines are played accompanied by harmony notes on the open strings-very much like DADGAD playing.
As such it pre-dates slide guitar in Hawaii.
There was a huge Hawaiian craze in both the USA and Britain in the early part of the 20th century.
Check out my good Friend Basil on http://www.waikikiislanders.com for more about Hawaiian Music
Cheers
Dave
(Steel guitar player)