Angus Trumble, curator of paintings and sculpture at the Yale Center for British Art, director of the National Portrait Gallery, author, historian, blogger, genealogist, collector of obscure facts, boulevardier, friend, brother, uncle (and occasional agony aunt), and workaholic, who left hundreds of thousands of words, of which this is a small sample. These short pieces, which he had compiled for publication before his death in 2022, are charming, learned, eclectic, whimsical, engaging, witty, scholarly, reflective, and disarmingly candid. They address topics as diverse as florists, the plague, Caravaggio, tiaras, the gold rush, war memorials, and perfume. Also included is a moving fragment of memoir, and a reflection on his lifelong relationship with his teddy bear, Brownie.
