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Secondary sourceSculpture2009-07-18

The Adam Smith Statue, Edinburgh

Ann Harrison · 2009-07-18

A modern bronze statue of Adam Smith standing on a sandstone plinth on a street in Edinburgh, photographed in 2009.

A modern statue erected in Edinburgh to commemorate Smith long after his death.

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Bronze statue of a standing man in 18th-century coat and cravat on a tall sandstone plinth inscribed ADAM SMITH, on a cobbled street lined with stone buildings and pedestrians.
Photograph of the Adam Smith Statue, Edinburgh, by Ann Harrison, 2009.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph, taken in 2009, of a bronze statue of Adam Smith. The statue shows him standing in 18th-century dress on a tall plinth carved with his name, set on a cobbled Edinburgh street.

Why it matters

The statue was made long after Smith's lifetime to honour his memory as a philosopher and economist. It shows how later generations in Edinburgh chose to remember him as a famous historical figure connected to the city.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the sculptor, Ann Harrison, chose to show Smith standing in everyday 18th-century dress rather than in a grand pose?
  • What does placing a statue on a public street tell you about how a city wants people to remember a person?
  • What is missing from a statue that you might learn from a portrait or written source instead?

This sculpture 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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