When Admiral Robley D. Evans of the United States Navy visited Seoul on Aug. 8, 1902, he was very impressed with the American Legation. He described Horace Allen s residence as being “a charming, refined house full of exquisite old things.” He was undoubtedly correct. Allen was known for his various Korean collections (mainly pottery) and for his tendency to gossip. I can easily imagine Allen regaling the American naval officer with all sorts of tidbits he had gleaned from his friends, staff, servants and his own imagination.
History often confines itself to narrating only the events surrounding key protagonists and antagonists, their exploits and faults and their eventual fates. But in my opinion, it is often the people surrounding these key figures who are the most interesting - the ways in which they interact with our heroes and villains, the subtle (and, sometimes, not so subtle) influence they exert and their own deeds that are sometimes misappropriated by or misattributed to the powerful political player.
History often confines itself to narrating only the events surrounding key protagonists and antagonists, their exploits and faults and their eventual fates. But in my opinion, it is often the people surrounding these key figures who are the most interesting - the ways in which they interact with our heroes and villains, the subtle (and, sometimes, not so subtle) influence they exert and their own deeds that are sometimes misappropriated by or misattributed to the powerful political player.