Tara Draper-Stumm grew up in Canada and the USA. After gaining a Masters Degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art, she joined the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, now English Heritage, in 1994. In 2005 she joined the Heritage of London Trust, a small charity dedicated to helping community groups to restore and re-use historic buildings in London. She lives in east London with her husband and two cats, and in her spare time is working on a Masters Degree in Egyptology. She is a member of the Company of Art Scholars, Dealers and Collectors in the City of London and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.