IMagES OF LloYD GEORGE The winter 2012 issue of this Journal depicts on its front page the standard, rather intense photographic treatment of David Lloyd George. Like most photographs, it gives no indication of the Lloyd George seen in other images, such as cartoons, paintings, mugs and ceramics. Biographies and general histories contain a number of differing versions of what Lloyd George did, his motivation, the impact of his actions and the personality through which he delivered those actions. There are largely favourable biographies by Thomson and Owen, stridently critical versions by Lloyd George’s son Richard and by McCormick, and more balanced views by Rowland and Hattersley.1 Alan Mumford reviews images of Lloyd George. 6 Journal of Liberal History 84 Autumn 2014 IMagES OF LloYD GEORGE uch ‘outsider’ views are in his company that flavour of the people who viewed them. For complemented and occasion- final purposelessness, inner irre- Lloyd George, the main change in Sally contradicted by Lloyd sponsibility, existence outside the political environment was the George’s own direct contribution, or away from our Saxon good increase in the electorate – from 6.7 both from reports of his speeches and evil mixed with cunning million in 1900, to 7.7 million (all and through his articles and books. remorselessness, love of power.6 male) in 1910, to 21.3 million includ- The books were, of course, substan- ing many women in 1918, then to tially concerned with presenting This caricature in words was writ- 28.8 million in 1930.8 Two paral- his own image of his role during ten at the height of Keynes’ anger lel changes were the continuing the First World War and in creat- with Lloyd George, during the increase in adult literacy and cor- ing the peace treaties, and they 1919 peace-treaty negotiations. responding proliferation of news- conflict in places with the memoirs When he eventually published it, papers (there was no radio until the and biographies of other people, in 1933, he confessed that it was an 1920s and, of course, no TV). Lloyd particularly generals, that cover the unfair portrait, having worked in George’s response to these changes war.2 Frances Stevenson (his secre- harmony with Lloyd George on found expression in his relationship tary and mistress) recorded in 1934 unemployment in the 1920s. Lloyd with the press – which he said ‘must that ‘some of his friends think that George, however, retaliated in his be squared or must be squashed’.9 he would do better sometimes to War Memoirs: ‘He is an entertaining Thus he can be viewed as the first admit that he has occasionally made economist whose bright but shal- modern prime minister in the way mistakes, and been in the wrong low dissertations on finance and he developed that relationship, for but he seems incapable of doing political economy when not taken example, holding in 1922 the first this’.3 He did not keep a diary dur- seriously always provide a source of press conference ever given by a ing this parliamentary career; and innocent merriment to his readers.’7 prime minister.10 (Unlike Church- his letters to Dame Margaret and Yet another image of Lloyd ill, radio was not a major contribu- Frances, unsurprisingly, sustain his George is presented through drawn tor to his image). self-image.4 A lot of Stevenson’s caricature or cartoons (the word used Lloyd George’s predecessors material probably reflects what throughout the rest of this article). had shuddered with distaste at the Lloyd George wanted recorded as The most frequently used illustra- thought of trying to influence news- his views; his other main secretary, tion is that by David Low, and he is a LG (Low, New papers; he, on the contrary, was A. J. Sylvester, reveals less attrac- totally different figure in this image Statesman, 16 obsessed with the cultivation of his tive aspects of his boss.5 from the one seen in most photo- March 1926) image. Beaverbrook wrote, ‘Mr However, the image that has graphs: a twinkling figure engaging From 1919 to 1922 Lloyd George likes praise but not been most frequently seized upon the viewer in a sense of fun, enjoy- Low had drawn from a delight of flattery. He likes in books is that of J. M. Keynes: ment, participation. However, just as critical cartoons a good Press as a shopkeeper likes a with the written word, the various of Lloyd George, good customer.’11 Salisbury’s com- How can I convey to the reader, cartoonists depicted a wide variety but this cartoon ment about the Daily Mail – ‘a paper who does not know him, any of images of Lloyd George, as will be (part of a series written by office boys for office just impression of this extraor- shown in this article. on important boys’12 – perhaps recognised the rev- dinary figure of our time, this people) brings olution in newspaper style and cir- syren [sic], this goat-footed out his attractive culation which formed so significant bard, this half-human visitor The context for cartoons – side. It also a feature of Lloyd George’s relations to our age from the hag-ridden electorate and press indicates LG’s with the press, and through which magic and enchanted woods of The significance of cartoons is best large head and cartoon images of Lloyd George Celtic antiquity. One catches understood within the context of short legs. became more relevant. Journal of Liberal History 84 Autumn 2014 7 IMagES of lloYD GEORGE The coincidence of vastly Stop Thief increased adult literacy and the (J. J. Proctor, The innovative ideas of Alfred Harms- People, 9 May worth (later Lord Northcliffe) cre- 1909) ated a larger readership. At the start of Lloyd George’s parliamen- Caption: Taffy tary career in 1890, The Times sold was a Welshman; 40,000 copies, and the top-sell- Taffy was a thief; ing London morning papers sold Chief of hen-roost perhaps 300,000. Of the Sunday robbers; May his papers, Reynolds sold 350,000 – but run be brief. the News of the World only 30,000. Only ten years later, in 1900, the In 1908 Lloyd Daily Mail was selling more than George said ‘I 700,000 copies. By the time the have no nest First World War broke out in 1914, eggs. I am the Daily Express (not yet under looking for Beaverbrook’s control) was sell- someone else’s ing 400,000; the Mail, 800,000; the hen roost to News of the World, 2,000,000; and rob next year’. The Times went up to 165,000 as The famous the result of a massive price reduc- People’s Budget tion. By the end of Lloyd George’s of 1909 proposed premiership, the Daily Express was new taxes. nearly up to the 1,000,000 of the The caption Daily Mail, compared with the makes use of Liberal Daily News at 300,000. The a then familiar Daily Herald, supporting Labour, gibe about increased from 40,000 before 1914 Welshmen. to 200,000 in 1921. Conservative- The dog is supporting newspapers outsold the presumably a Liberal papers (Daily News, Daily reference to Chronicle, Westminster Gazette and A. J. Balfour’s Manchester Guardian) by two to description of one over the period 1900 to 1922.13 the House of – Scott hoping to influence Lloyd through his newspapers, said that There was also a large readership Lords as the George while Lloyd George tried Asquith had to go, though with- for a substantial number of pro- watchdog of the to influence the content of Scott’s out necessarily supporting Lloyd vincial papers – the Manchester constitution. editorials, saying: ‘Come and see George as a replacement. North- Guardian, for example, was influ- me sometimes and correct my faults cliffe subsequently crowed to his ential outside Manchester. In 1910, or help my better self.’14 In contrast, brother, ‘who killed cock Robin’16 national and provincial papers both he was involved in the removal of – and believed he had had a major sold 3.5 million copies daily. The Donald, editor of the Liberal Daily input. LG brought him into gov- readership – and so the number of Chronicle, when he diverged from ernment to try and keep him quiet people who saw cartoons of Lloyd LG’s policies. There is little evi- – unsuccessfully: from 1918 he was George – was three or four times dence of contact with the editor of consistently an enemy of Lloyd this. We can compare this reader- the Daily Mail at one extreme or George. On 16 April 1919 Lloyd ship with the number who saw The Times at the other. George made a venomous attack on political prints in the early nine- He frequently (at least 700 meet- an unnamed newspaper proprietor teenth century, which was perhaps ings)15 saw Riddell, who was the (Northcliffe). He delivered a sarcas- 40,000 for best sellers. main director of Reynold’s News tic description of what he claimed Unlike Asquith, as in so many and the News of the World. Riddell to be this man’s ‘diseased van- other respects, Lloyd George fre- bought a house for him at Walton ity’ (tapping his head). In the same quently met editors and particu- Heath in 1912, frequently played speech he spoke of The Times as larly those of Liberal papers. The golf with him and recorded their being seen by people in France who most important relationship was conversations in two published dia- did not recognise it as ‘the three- with C. P. Scott of the Manchester ries.