Modern · Smithsonian American Art Museum · saam_1975.73
"Why Don't You Speak for Yourself, John?"
John Rogers, patented 1885
Smithsonian American Art Museum · Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Genevieve Wisel in memory of Dan Wisel · CC0 · Public domain
- Artist
- John Rogers
- Date
- patented 1885
- Medium
- painted plaster
- Dimensions
- 21 3/4 x 17 1/2 x 12 3/4 in. (55.3 x 44.5 x 32.3 cm)
- Era
- Modern
Why it matters
This group illustrates a line from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Courtship of Miles Standish. In the poem, Captain Miles Standish asks his friend John Alden to propose to Priscilla on his behalf. John goes to visit Priscilla and does as requested, even though he is in love with her himself. This sculpture shows the moment when Priscilla guesses John’s true feelings and declares, “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?”