The Amelia Trail

A FREE walking trail around Edinburgh, of the sculptures and statues by Victorian artist Amelia Robertson Hill (1821-1904). Amelia is possibly the most famous female Scottish artist you haven’t yet heard of! Her statues stand in some of the most prominent locations around Edinburgh - including in Princes Street Gardens, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Scottish Academy and in the National Museum of Scotland. While she was alive in the 19th Century she produced dozens of marble busts of famous people, and was commissioned to sculpt several public statues, rare for a female artist of the period. She was also one of only two female artists chosen to sculpt figures for Edinburgh’s iconic Scott Monument. Despite her achievements, she faced discrimination in her lifetime from the arts establishment, due to Victorian attitudes towards women at the time. So she helped set up her own alternative arts society, The Albert Institute, in 1877 which welcomed all aspiring artists regardless of gender. Her sculptures of ‘Painting and Poetry’ can still be seen above what was once the ornate entrance to the building (now offices). This year she shares her 200th birthday with her famous brother, Sir Joseph Noel Paton (Portrait painter to Queen Victoria). So to celebrate the work of this inspirational female artist, and have a wander around Edinburgh’s beautiful cityscape, please download the map from the website and join the tour! Walk is approximately 2.6 miles in total.