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Harry Robert (King) Lloyd, Arthur Lloyd's son, Born 1874

Harry Robert (King) Lloyd was many things at different times. For some time he was an actor touring with his father Arthur Lloyd around the country. He also toured in America and is reported to have performed with the 'Keystone Cops' and Fred Karno, who worked with Charles Chaplin when Chaplin was just 17. Harry's wife claimed that Harry was often very put out by the fact that Charlie Chaplin would keep stealing his material.

Right - Caricature of Harry Robert Lloyd.

Left - Poster for Harry at the Pavilion Gorleston - Click to Enlarge.

The poster above left is one of a large collection of original Lloyd Posters collected since the mid 1800s by members of the family and found recently after being lost for 50 years. To see all these posters click the Poster Index here...

Later Harry became something of an artist and for some time also produced the posters for Harry Tate, and for many other theatrical artistes and theatres around London.

Harry's son Robert, my father, sometimes delivered Harry's posters for him by bus, and on one occasion forgot he had them and left them on the bus, getting into serious trouble with his father as a result.

Right - Some of Harry's drawing aids now in the possession of Dennis Lloyd, Harry's Grandson.

Harry seems to have painted a number of works which were sold to various people over the years and have lately come to light, including several paintings of the Titanic done in 1912, one of which I own myself. Although Harry's paintings of the Titanic are not that accomplished it's still interesting to note that he attempted them. The first painting (Shown Left) has been passed down through the family and is currently in my possession.

Left and Right - Two of Harry Lloyd's paintings of the Titanic, probably inspired by a photograph or postcard, which he did in 1912, the year the Titanic sank. Click the paintings to Enlarge.

The second of Harry Lloyd's paintings of the Titanic (Shown above right) is in the possession of Sally Slaney whose mother-in-law's parents, Charles and Maud O'Bree, ran several pubs in the East End of London, three of which were The Fox, The Angel and the Prince of Wales. They probably received the painting from Harry himself shortly after he painted it and by the look of the state of it it is likely that it was hung in one of these pubs for some time.

The paintings are both signed King Lloyd, one of the names that Harry went under. The name King has often been used in the family and comes from Harry's mother, and Arthur Lloyd's wife, Katty King, and her father, the Drury Lane Tragedian, T.C. King.

Left - Harry's painting of the Titanic is now featured on the front cover of the Romanian version of Beryl Bainbridge's "Every Man For Himself."

It's a great honour for Harry's work to be used on the front cover of a book by this famous and popular writer, and a book which was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996, and won the Whitbread Novel Award the same year.

The Romanian version of Beryl Bainbridge's "Every Man For Himself is available from the publishers here, and here.

Above - Another of Harry Lloyd's paintings. Photo taken at an auction of several of his works and kindly sent in by Elizabeth Snow

Harry's wife, my grandmother, was very proud of her husband and would often regale my mother with tales of his life. But something that annoyed her immensely was that the famous Stockport comedian Harry Liston, who toured with Arthur Lloyd on his 'Two Hours Of Genuine Fun' in the early days, was always dropping in unexpectedly just when they were about to eat. Naturally she would have to feed him too. After a lovely dinner Liston would usually say 'And it's so nice cold for supper too' meaning he intended to stay as well!

Right - Another of Harry Lloyd's paintings, this one being a copy of a Rossetti painting. Photo taken at an auction of several of his works and kindly sent in by Elizabeth Snow.

Royal Commands - A Letter from Harry Lloyd to the Evening Standard and Radio Times about his father, Arthur Lloyd's, Royal encounters. (c) 1948.

I listened with great interest recently to ‘Following in Father’s Footsteps’ and noted Dan Leno junior’s claim that his father (dear old Dan Leno) was the first music-hall artist to appear by command before Royalty. Although I do not wish to detract from his claim, I have before me a facsimile of a programme dated Wednesday, February 19, 1868, in which my father the late Arthur Lloyd, the late A. G. Vance, and the late J. (Jolly John) Nash, appeared before the Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward the V11) at the Whitehall Gardens at a party given by the late Lord Carrington. Although the programme does not state that it was a command performance, it is nevertheless surmounted by the Prince of Wales’s feathers and the manager of (I think) Evan’s Music-hall told them that they were commanded to appear before His Royal Highness. Therefore this proves that the music-hall profession was honoured by Royalty many years before the time of dear old Dan. --- Harry (King) Robert Lloyd, London.