CAMPAIGNERS have written to every Edinburgh councillor over the proposed statue of Dr Elsie Inglis in Edinburgh, calling the design and process to select an artist "deeply flawed".
The campaign to erect a statue of Inglis on Edinburgh's Royal Mile has been mired in controversy since 2017 due to the selection process for the sculptor, as well as the final design.
Initially, an open competition was launched for the historic commission, aiming to engage both established and emerging artists inspired by Inglis's legacy. However, the trustees of the charity "A Statue for Elsie Inglis" suspended the competition, after artists had spent dozens of hours on their application, to appoint Alexander Stoddart — the King's Sculptor in Ordinary in Scotland.
Stoddart had not participated in the open call.
The decision sparked significant backlash from local artists and the public, including East Lothian-based artist Natasha Phoenix.
Phoenix is spear-heading the latest campaign, as the charity has now submitted a planning application for the statue, proposing its placement outside 219 High Street, near the original site of Inglis's hospice established in 1904.
There are currently 76 objections to the proposal, with 105 supporting.
Who is Elsie Inglis?
Inglis was born in 1864 in the Himalayas of India and her family were descendants of the Inglis of Inverness.
By 1878, the family had moved into their new home in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh. In 1892, she qualified as a doctor before opening a general practice in the capital in 1894 as well as a hospital for women and children and she was actively involved in the campaign for women’s votes.
During the First World War, she organised hospital units staffed by women and led one of these in Serbia, where she became the first woman to receive the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Serbian honour for heroism.
This came after she inquired at the war office if women doctors and surgeons were permitted to serve in front-line hospitals and she was told to “go home and sit still”.
'Elise would be appalled'
Phoenix is joined by Dr Lynn McNair, a lecturer in early childhood practice and froebelas, as a signatory of the letter to councillors.
The group also have more than 800 members of the Facebook group "Elsie on the Mile -we choose a breastfeeding mother with Elsie statue".
Campaigners have argued against Stoddart's proposal, which features Inglis in military uniform.
The letter urges: "The statue’s depiction of Elsie Inglis in military uniform is a fundamental misrepresentation of her life’s work. While her role in the war effort was significant, it is already acknowledged in the commemorative plaque in St Giles Cathedral.
"Her lasting impact lies in her pioneering work in women’s healthcare. This proposal disregards the public's desire to see her as their beloved hero. To portray her as a meek, conventional figure is to strip her of her power, to erase her revolutionary spirit."
The statue is to be placed outside 219 High Street, the site of The Hospice, which provided free medical care to women and children and was entirely staffed by women.
However, this was also the site of a milk bank and breastfeeding support – critical services for women and infants at that time.
The letter states: "To position a statue here that omits her contributions to women’s healthcare is an act of historical erasure. It disregards the legacy of local women and the very reason this site is significant."
Phoenix is suggesting a statue which shows Inglis with her arm around a new mother breastfeeding her baby. She argues her proposal offers seating for new parents to feed their babies and interactive links with support for new parents.
