Lovecraft the Entertainer

Lovecraft, in his youth, enjoyed pretend. He was a Sherlock Holmes Baker Street Irregular and carried a real revolver in his pretend detective work - at perhaps age 13. He studied the violin (shades of Erich Zann), but eventually became bored with it. At 11, he played in the Blackstone Military Band. He often put on plays in a section of the Phillips' stable.

Years later, he was still the entertainer.

"It was now evening … after dinner the family {of Miss M. A Little} demanded Grandpa {i.e. Lovecraft's pseudonym of humself} amuse them with some of his theatrical impersonations – and believe us, you’d never know the old man in some of the things they made him put on! In my acting days I went the heavy villanous stuff, but the Hampsteaders seem partial to the Julian Entinge stuff, and could not be satisfied until they had Grandpa laced into a hoop skirt outfit with bonnet and parasol to match! Though it was hard to think of dialogue for such makeup, they seemed satisfied with my improvistaions; and compensated by prolongued applause for the injury inflicted upon my patriarchal dignity."

Perhaps HPL looked ludicrously like these models?











H. P. Lovecraft: Letters to Galpin, Joshi, p. 102