On this day in 1874 Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace.  The son of Lord Randolph Churchill, a somewhat tragic British politician, and Jennie Jerome, a Brooklyn-born socialite, Winston Churchill became one of the towering figures of the 20^th century.  Indeed, one poll conducted by the BBC selected him as the greatest Briton in history.

Churchill’s long career was full of great victories and substantial miscalculations.  A difficult, audacious and often charming politician and prolific writer, Churchill’s greatest moment, of course, was his first period as prime minister.  His soaring rhetoric, unwavering determination, and skillful diplomacy with Franklin Roosevelt and the American leadership were valuable in keeping Britain afloat in what was clearly its dark hour.

I have a large collection of books by and about Churchill.  One of the prints that I own is an interesting one done by his granddaughter, Edwina Sandys.  “Winston at Work” celebrates his hobby as a painter (he was quite good) against the backdrop of his many writings.