Angela Cox's talk on the 150 year history of the National Portrait Gallery was entitled "From Humble Beginnings". Humble in some ways-opening with just 56 portraits, enough to fill the entrance hall and one floor of a London house-but grandiose in others: the paintings must have a strictly moral purpose; the sitter should be famous, for a suitable reason; he or she should have been dead for at least ten years so as to ensure that their fame was lasting and not merely transient; furthermore each image must be authentic and contemporary- none of those imaginary images created several centuries on: this must be the real thing! And to make sure that these rules were followed trustees were appointed from the good, including two future prime ministers Gladstone and Disraeli, both of whom attended diligently for the rest of their lives. The portraits must be in any medium provided that they fulfilled the basic requirements: oils and watercolours of course, and oil pastel; miniatures; sculptures; an exquisite self portrait by George Stubbs on a ceramic base made by Josiah Wedgwood; even a slightly gruesome collection of death masks. And photographs-which is a whole lecture in itself because as photography developed it started to raise the questions as "Why paint?" and "What is a likeness?" As portraiture developed to meet these new challenges so the Gallery's rules and functions developed to meet new ages and thinking. By the mid 20th century the old rules were found to be too restricting and irksome. The sciences and women were sorely unrepresented in the collection. The 10-year rule was preventing too many potential acquisitions. Things had to change. From the 1980's the Gallery started actively commissioning work. Horizons broadened. Recent work includes portraits of Viv Richards, Frank Bruno and other sportsmen, and an exuberant glass mosaic bust of designer Zandra Rhodes. The beginnings may have been humble, but 150 years on the National Gallery is justifiably proud.

Taste was not limited to tea in defining fashionable society's view of China and India in the mid 18th and 19th centuries. Chinoisie was chic. From the first Chinese house built in 1738 (and still standing after three moves) to furniture, wallpaper, pavilions, pagodas, boat houses gardens - and bizarre manifestations, such as the Duke of Cumberland's oriental yacht - the British Manufactured their images of the East. Although Frederick II of Prussia tried to keep up by building a tea house, the real royal hero was the Prince of Wales, later George IV, patron of the arts and Brighton's Pavilion. Bath moved into the second league as the place to be seen. In the 1780s Brighton was a small village but by the end of the Napoleonic wars it was clearly on the map and John Nash added both Chinese and Indian elements to the new Royal Pavilion and stables. Cartoonists caricatured George as a Chinese emperor enthroned in his fantasy world. His successor, William IV, also favoured Brighton but Victoria was not amused and sailed off to the Isle of Wight. Fortunately the town took over the Pavilion and preserved it until its recent revival. After Nelson had injured Napoleon's pride on the Nile, Egyptian artifacts also gained in popularity. Obelisks multiplied. An MP even prepared for the afterlife by building his own pyramid-shaped mausoleum. Modelled on the former Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, a house in Chapel Street, Penzance is a noble survivor of this vogue but Harrods probably has the last word. Thanks to Patrick Conner, a specialist on historical paintings illustrating the China trade and the impact of Oriental architecture in the West, we gained a fascinating insight into the exotic.

A succesful AGM was held at the Thurlestone Hotel. The principal change to the committee was the retirement of Dr Malcolm Waite (2007-2010) and his replacement as Chairman by Dr David Howells. After the AGM, 45 members stayed on to enjoy a splendid lunch held at the Hotel.