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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1800

Adam Smith, Political Economist, Portrait of 1800

Unknown (Scottish) · c. 1800

A painted portrait of Adam Smith made shortly after his death, now in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

A posthumous portrait made shortly after Smith's death, helping to fix his public image for later generations.

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Oil portrait of an older man with white powdered hair in curled rolls over the ears, wearing a dark coat with a high collar and a white cravat. He looks off to the side against a dark brown background, lit from the left.
Unknown Scottish artist, Adam Smith, 1723-1790, Political Economist, c. 1800. Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Adam Smith was painted by an unknown Scottish artist around 1800, shortly after his death in 1790. It is held in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Why it matters

Painted soon after Smith's death, this portrait is one of several images produced to commemorate him once he had become famous as the author of The Wealth of Nations. Together with other posthumous portraits, it helped establish the visual image of Smith that later generations came to recognise, even though it was not made from life.

Look closer

  • What differences do you notice between this portrait and the Muir portrait or John Kay's etching?
  • Why might artists have kept painting Smith's portrait years after he died?
  • What does the formal pose and clothing suggest about how Smith was being remembered?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Adam Smith on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Adam Smith sources

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Title page of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, LL.D. and F.R.S., formerly Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Glasgow. In two volumes, Vol. I. London, printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, in the Strand, MDCCLXXVI.Book

Primary source

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith · 1776

Scan of the title page of the 1759 first edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Glasgow. Centered ornament below. Imprint reads London: Printed for A. Millar, in the Strand, and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, in Edinburgh, MDCCLIX.Book

Primary source

The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Adam Smith · 1759

Black and white engraving of a standing man in profile wearing a tricorn hat, powdered wig, and long buttoned coat, holding a cane, beside a round table with books and an inkstand. Bookshelves and a checkered floor are behind him. Caption below reads 'The Author of the Wealth of Nations'. Signed 'RAY' and dated 1790 at lower left.Painting

Primary source

Adam Smith, 1790

John Kay · 1790

Oil painting of a man in a powdered white wig and dark high-collared coat with blue-tinged shading, turned to the left, against a dark brown background. He has a slight closed-mouth expression.Painting

Secondary source

The Muir Portrait of Adam Smith

Unknown · c. 1790

Evening photo of Panmure House, a stone building with lit windows and a glass-fronted entrance at street level, with a sign reading Adam Smith's Panmure House. Dusk sky, paved street in foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Panmure House

1691-1693 (built); Smith resided 1778-1790

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