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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1790

The Muir Portrait of Adam Smith

Unknown · c. 1790

An oil portrait of Adam Smith, probably painted after his death, which became the most widely reproduced image of him.

The most widely reproduced image of Smith, shaping how later generations pictured him.

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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.
Unknown artist, Adam Smith (the Muir portrait), probably posthumous, c. 1790.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting of Adam Smith, known as the 'Muir portrait' after the family who once owned it, is by an unknown artist. It was probably painted after Smith's death, based on a medallion by the sculptor James Tassie.

Why it matters

Because so few images of Smith were made during his lifetime, this posthumous painting became the model for how he is remembered today, appearing in books, banknotes and statues. It shows how a historical figure's visual identity can be shaped long after they have died, by artists working from other artists' earlier likenesses rather than from life.

Look closer

  • What does it mean that this portrait was probably based on a medallion rather than on Smith himself?
  • Why might this image have become more famous than portraits made during his lifetime?
  • What choices did the painter make about pose, clothing and expression?

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

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

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.Painting

Secondary source

Adam Smith, Political Economist, Portrait of 1800

Unknown (Scottish) · c. 1800

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