‘A cultural embarrassment’: anger as male sculptor commissioned for statue of suffragist | Feminism

Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and its surrounding streets are not short of monuments. In a 30-minute round trip, visitors can rub the nose of Greyfriars Bobby, spit on the Heart of Midlothian and touch David Hume’s toe, all thought to bring good luck. On the way, they might stop for a selfie with Wojtek the Bear, an honorary member of the Polish army who went on to live in Edinburgh Zoo, while the Scott Monument, built to honour Sir Walter, looms overhead.

According to campaigners, though, there is something missing: women. There are no freestanding statues of women in the city centre, and only a handful in the surrounding area. So when a fundraiser was launched in 2017 to secure a Royal Mile statue for Elsie Inglis, Scottish suffragist and maternal health pioneer, it quickly gained momentum. But when plans were finally unveiled last month, a bitter row was reignited about the choice of a male sculptor and his vision for the statue.

The dispute began in 2022 when the charity Statue For Elsie Inglis suddenly cancelled an open call for designs by artists for the future monument, and instead announced the appointment of Alexander Stoddart, who holds the title of the King’s Sculptor in Ordinary in Scotland and whose existing works include five statues in Edinburgh city centre, two of them – of David Hume and Adam Smith – on the Royal Mile. The backlash was so forceful that all but one of the charity’s trustees resigned.

A sketch of the proposed monument to Dr Elsie Inglis on the southern pavement of the Royal Mile. Illustration: The City of Edinburgh Council

After the official planning application was submitted a few weeks ago, opposition has continued to grow. By Friday morning, the application had amassed 163 comments from the public. Among those who have objected is Margaret Graham, Labour councillor for the proposed site, who told the Observer the design was “dowdy and not representative of the character of Elsie Inglis”. She called for further public consultation before a final decision was made.

Natasha Phoenix, a feminist sculptor and campaigner who led opposition to Stoddart’s appointment in 2022, said the commission was “a cultural embarrassment” and should have been given to a woman. Stoddart, she said, has “no links to feminism or to Elsie Inglis”.

Phoenix, who had planned to enter the original competition before it was closed, said: “It’s incredibly important that women’s stories are told through the female gaze. When men create sculptures of women, they often portray them through the patriarchal lens, whether intentionally or not.”

Inglis, one of the first women to graduate from Edinburgh University, founded a free hospital and milk bank for Edinburgh’s poorest women and children, and was active in the suffrage movement. When war broke out in 1914, she established a fleet of women-run field hospitals and served as a medic for three years.

The Inglis statue is set to be located at the site of her maternity hospital but Stoddart’s proposed design, revealed last month, depicts her in military uniform, standing upright and alone on a tall pedestal.

Phoenix said the design “erases women’s history and lacks qualities attributed to Elsie – warmth, compassion and spirit. She existed among everyday folks and, figuratively, would never have put herself on a pedestal or above others.” Instead, Phoenix suggested, the statue should depict Inglis in a caring stance alongside a new, breastfeeding mother.

Dr Lynn McNair, a lecturer in early education at the University of Edinburgh, said she also objected and called for a child-friendly design instead of one “out of reach, physically and in representation”.

“As a parent and educator, I’ve walked countless times up and down the High Street with a little hand tucked in mine, and I’ve seen first-hand how public art sparks children’s imagination, ignites questions and deepens their understanding of the world,” she said. “We had a chance to honour Elsie Inglis in a way that reflected her fight for women’s voices to be heard. Instead, we risk telling another story where those voices remain absent.”

Gemma Bone, a member of a Facebook group set up to campaign against the proposals, said she felt Stoddart was “an establishment male sculptor … whose agenda is to put a classical-style sculpture in a prominent place”, and that “[Inglis’s] military service, serving men, was small compared to her pioneering medical work for women and babies”.

For others, the issue is one of transparency. Jenny Lester, chair of Edinburgh’s International Women’s Day march, said Stoddart’s selection had been “in bad faith”.

“For me, the problem isn’t that he’s a man but that he was selected by the trust after they said it would be a competitive process,” she added.

Alexander Stoddart and Edinburgh council were approached for comment.

Trustees of Statue For Elsie Inglis said in a statement that the submission of the planning application was “a significant milestone in the project to deliver a lasting tribute on the Royal Mile”.

“The trustees continue to be committed to the delivery of this project and we hope all those who recognise the life and work of Dr Elsie Inglis will be supportive,” they said.

But for their opponents, the differences will be difficult to reconcile. “There are already dozens of boring, patriarchal statues on the Royal Mile that everyone walks straight past,” said one.

“It’s an insult to Elsie and all of us to make her into another one.”

Mary Wollstonecraft

In 2020, Maggi Hambling’s sculpture of feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft was met with criticism when it depicted her nude and as an unrecognisable “everywoman” figure. Its unveiling followed a decade-long fundraising effort by the Mary on the Green campaign, whose representatives defended the design as a modern and challenging depiction – but feminist activist Caroline Criado-Perez called it “insulting” and “a naked, perfectly formed, wet dream of a woman”.

Millicent Fawcett

A statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett, by Turner prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing, was erected in Parliament Square after a campaign. But a few years after its unveiling in 2018, a book by professor Melissa Terras claimed the words depicted on the statue, “courage calls to courage everywhere”, had been taken out of context. Widely cited as a tribute to suffragette Emily Davison, Terras said Fawcett had not actually penned the line until years after Davison’s death, and only then to explain why her death had attracted widespread attention, rather than to celebrate her.

Virginia Woolf

Last year, a bust of writer Virginia Woolf in Bloomsbury was the subject of a dispute after Camden council labelled it with a QR code directing viewers to an explanation of Woolf’s “imperialist views”. The move was part of a project established in the aftermath of Black Lives Matter protests to “make meaningful connections between our diverse communities and Camden’s public realm,” the council said. Woolf’s great-niece Emma Woolf slammed the decision, calling Camden council “the wokerati”.

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