Study for Miles Standish’s Challenge 1969

This pen and ink drawing, “Study for Miles Standish’s Challenge,” by Edwin Austin Abbey, is a preparatory study for one of the illustrations he made for the 1898 publication of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” This scene, created in 1969, depicts an intense moment where Miles Standish confronts the Native American challenger, “he was standing there, a warrior, with his weapons,” for the hand of Priscilla. Abbey’s study illustrates the dramatic moment in the narrative when the two men face each other in a room full of onlookers. Abbey's line work captures the characters' expressions and the tense atmosphere, highlighting the epic nature of the event.