Antiqueinspired: a grand hoard of history (Part I)

 

It happens some days. With my first cuppa peppermint tea, each morning, I whisk through the last day's additions on theatrical e-bay. Some days there is nothing of interest. Just a ton weight of 'rare' Adelina Pattis and Eveleen Raynes and Christine Nilssons. Sometimes there's a little jewel -- identified or not identified -- and very, very occasionally, there's a little treasure trove. 

Today was a trove day. Mostly from a dealer named Antiquinspired. Sadly, many of the items he has posted are unnamed or named so faintly that is difficult nay impossible to identify the sitters, but a got a few .. and sent him/her the answers by the ebay intermail. Until ebay decided I was writing to him/her too often, and cut the link.

These are some of they. Those which I have never seen before, and, thus I suppose, fewbody if anybody else has either. Let's start with this one: labelled faintly Katy and Harry King and dated 1869/70.

No problems with the identification. These are two of the children of tragedian Thomas [Chiswell] King (1818-1893) and his wife, Elizabeth Chiswell. King has been biographised on many an occasion, most notably in the DNB revision of 1901 ('many errors of detail are here corrected' by a nephew). Well, there are still errors of detail. Neffie credits the Kings with three children. They had at least five. Though I will admit that the first two died in childhood. One was run over by a wagon aged 'about 8', the second succumbed to 'gastric fever 4 December 1855'. 

Facts and figures, to be sure, are hard to come by concerning the where and when of the births of the three survivors: Elizabeth dit Bessie, Harry and Kathleen dit Katty, all said to have been born in the period 1849-1851. According to the DNB, during that time he was in Edinburgh, according to me he was in Southampton, probably he was at both. Then from October 1850 he was at the Princess's Theatre, and in 1851 he was engaged at the Dublin theatre. In 1847 I see him playing Hull, Leeds, Glasgow, dubbed 'of Southampton'. Which means, theoretically, the babes were born in one of those places. Well, the 1871 census finds the family at home in Islington. Father born Tewkesbury, mother born Clifton, and Katty born St Pancras. Aged 18. So... here she is! Olivia Emily Kathline King born third quarter 1852 ... the other two? Well ... who can tell. Ireland, I suppose.

Harry (unless it were him as a child playing Albert to TCK's Tell) was announced for a debut as Blue Peter in Black-Eyed Susan at his father's Benefit in 1862. And the following year, he and Katty featured as a juvenile dance pair at the Dublin Theatre Royal. Between 1866-1870 the young pair were a featured item in the little touring 'Merry Folks' party headed by rising comedian Arthur Lloyd.

Then, on 17 May 1870, the sickly Harry died. Still a teenager. Nineteen, so it is said. The following year, 'sweet little' Katty, audience's darling' married Arthur Lloyd. 

And that is really the end of the story. They had seven children, worked together happily, lived together happily until Katty died, at only 39 years of age (2 May 1891). I hav'n't followed up the children, but there is a website devoted to Arthur Lloyd which rejects my ganzl@xtra.co.nz email, after umpteen years, which you may find: arthurlloyd.com I think.

But I have never seen a photo of Harry and Katty together before.

Well, hopefully Chris of Antiqueinspired will see this item and write to me!  

Now, I'm off to bury a deceased peahen :-(