Henriette de Bruyn Kops was born and raised in the Netherlands. Her 'foreign' life started with a two-year posting on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean, followed by a supposedly temporary move to Washington DC which ended up being permanent. Interim postings took her to Jakarta, Indonesia, for 3 years and more recently to Sofia, Bulgaria for another 3 years.

Dr. de Bruyn Kops holds dual appointments at Georgetown University: as Research Associate in the Department of History and as Lecturer in the School of Continuing Studies. She is employed part-time in the Department of Northern Baroque Paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.