CALLUM AND BOBBY
The main Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh is free and houses a marvellous collection, but Covid restrictions mean you now need to reserve online. Its cafe offers a view over Princes Street Gardens. One charming oddity of the museum is the story of one of its benefactors, Mr James Cowan Smith, who donated his fortune to the gallery. This sum formed an important trust fund for future acquisitions. However he had two conditions. One was that the gallery provided for his dog Fury, who outlived him, and the other was that the painting of his previous dog, Callum, a Dandie Dinmont terrier, should always be hung there in pride of place. The painting, though by no means a masterpiece, was placed in the gallery in 1919 and it remains there to this day. Another canine that forms part of the culture of Edinburgh is Greyfriar’s Bobby. He was a Skye terrier belonging to John Gray, a nightwatchman for the Edinburgh Police. When John Gray died he was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Bobby then became known locally for spending the rest of his life sitting on his master’s grave. After 14 years he died in 1872. He was buried near his master’s grave and a year later a drinking fountain topped with Bobby’s statue was erected by the entrance. It is now a tradition to touch his nose for good luck, but during the pandemic he wore a mask to protect the public. to house abriter / oddity curiosité / benefactor bienfaiteur / trust fund fonds en fidéicommis / to provide for pourvoir, subvenir aux besoins de / to outlive survivre à; ici, vivre plus longtemps que / to hang, hung, hung accrocher, suspendre; ici, présenter, exposer / pride of place place de choix / by no means en aucun cas / masterpiece chef-d’oeuvre / to belong appartenir / nightwatchman veilleur de nuit / to bury enterrer / to spend, spent, spent passer (temps) / grave tombe / to be topped with être surmonté de / to erect ériger / to wear, wore, worn porter.