Priscilla

Copied Longworth Powers, Priscilla, after 1860, plaster, 18 7⁄8 x 12 1⁄4 x 6 7⁄8 in. (48.0 x 31.1 x 17.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.100
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Artwork Details

Title
Priscilla
Artist
Date
after 1860
Location
Dimensions
18 7⁄8 x 12 1⁄4 x 6 7⁄8 in. (48.0 x 31.1 x 17.4 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Literature — Longfellow — Priscilla
  • Portrait female — unidentified — Priscilla
  • Figure female — bust
Object Number
1968.155.100
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.100

Artwork Description

This sculpture shows the character Priscilla from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s long narrative poem The Courtship of Miles Standish. Longworth Powers may have been inspired to create this sculpture by his father, Hiram, who carved two portraits of Longfellow in the late 1860s. The poem, first published in 1858, tells a story of love and foolishness among three characters: Priscilla Mullins, Miles Standish, and John Alden. John marries Priscilla, after first trying to court her on behalf of Standish. The poet describes Priscilla as a “puritan maiden” who speaks her mind to Alden, and in this piece Powers captured her confident expression as she listens to the young man’s declarations.