Priscilla

Longworth Powers, born Cincinnati, OH 1835-died Florence, Italy 1904 · after 1860

This sculpture shows the character Priscilla from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s long narrative poem <em>The Courtship of Miles Standish.</em> 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.