Statue of George Salmon. Left: Whole monument. Right: Closer view of George Salmon. Photos © N. Chadwick, originally posted on the geograph website, and kindly made available on the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Monument to George Salmon (1819-1904), by John Hughes (1865-1941). Erected in 1911, and carved from white marble from Galway, it is prominently located on near the library of Trinity College, Dublin, of which he had been Provost. Sitting in a chair, leaning slightly forward (one might say, slumped), he is shown in a realistic rather than an idealised pose. His jacket is open and his gown seems casually worn; with a glimmer of a smile, he seems thoughtful, speculative. He holds a slim book in one hand, but it is not hard to imagine that he might have been considering a chess move — he was a top-class player. The Irish heritage site notes, "This well-carved statue by John Hughes demonstrates immense skill in depicting naturalistic figures, although the honest representation has not always been appreciated." The limestone plinth has his name and dates incised in gold lettering.
One might, indeed, have expected a more formal, dignified figure: Salmon was an important and influential mathematician and theologian, who became Provost in 1888, and retained the position until his death. But Hughes's unconventional portrayal of him is at once more relatable and, no doubt, more truthful. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
Chadwick, N. Trinity College, Dublin — George Salmon Statue. Geograph. Web. 7 March 2026.
Ferriter, Diarmaid. "Hughes, John." Dictionary of Irish Biography. Web. 7 March 2026.
"George Salmon Statue, Trinity College, Dublin 2, DUBLIN." NBHS (National Built Heritage Servpce). Web. 7 March 2026.
Gow, Roderick. "Salmon, George." Dictionary of Irish Biography. Web. 7 March 2026.
Created 7 March 2026