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Signature of Adam Smith

Adam Smith · 1783

Adam Smith's own signature from 1783, during his years as a customs commissioner.

This is Smith's own autograph, a direct physical trace of his hand from his years as a customs commissioner.

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Black handwritten cursive signature reading 'Adam Smith' on a white background, with long looping strokes and a flourish extending to the right.
Signature of Adam Smith, 1783.

About this source

What it is

This is a reproduction of Adam Smith's handwritten signature, dated 1783, from the period when he served as a commissioner of customs in Edinburgh.

Why it matters

A signature is a direct physical trace of a historical figure's own hand. For Smith, who is remembered mostly through his printed books, a surviving autograph is a rare reminder that he was a real person who signed documents, held a government post, and lived an ordinary working life alongside his famous writing.

Look closer

  • What can handwriting tell us about a person that printed text cannot?
  • Why might someone keep or copy a famous person's signature?
  • What kind of document might this signature have originally appeared on?

This document 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.

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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

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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

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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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