"Why Don't You Speak for Yourself, John?", John Rogers, patented 1885
John RogersAmerican, 1808–1888

"Why Don't You Speak for Yourself, John?"

patented 1885 · Sculpture · 55.3 × 44.5 cm

Can I see it?

Unknown

Where is “"Why Don't You Speak for Yourself, John?"” now? Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Unknown.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Washington, D.C., United States

The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.

In this state since
Source
The museum

About the sculpture

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?”

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Details

Accession number
1975.73

What it shows

In the catalog

Sources

All works

On view at Smithsonian American Art Museum

Museum page