Lionel Harris (1862-1943), the son of William Harris, a diamond merchant in London, began as a diamond merchant trading in London and Madrid from the 1890s. In 1898 Lionel married Enriqueta Rodriguez y Leon in Madrid, whose family were also dealers in antiques. In the mid 1890s Harris entered into a partnership with Solomon Joseph, dealer in works of art and antiquities, trading at 35 Hatton Gardens from 1892; the partnership was dissolved in 1898. By 1900 Harris moved the main business to London, at 44 Conduit Street; he retained branches in Spain, at 24 Principal Derecha in Madrid (opened in the late 1890s). The company became L. Harris & Co. in 1911.
In 1907 Harris opened 'The Spanish Gallery' at 50 Conduit Street (see entry for Spanish Gallery) selling works of art and antiques, with a specialism in Spanish art and antiques. Maurice Harris was born in 1900; Lionel Harris junior was born in 1903 and Tomas Harris in 1909, all of whom continued in the art and antiques business. Maurice joined the family firm in 1921, in a business called the Kent Gallery (see entry for Kent Gallery) which also specialised in English antique furniture; Lionel Jnr joined the business in the 1920s and was initially a partner in the Kent Gallery, but by the early 1930s had opened his own antique shop, 'Lionel Harris Jnr' at Kent House, 1b King Street, London. Tomas Harris briefly opened his own art gallery in Sackville Street, London and then at Bruton Street, before joining his father at The Spanish Gallery.
The Spanish Gallery and the Harris family were major dealers in Spanish Art and Antiques, selling to many public museums and galleries in the UK and USA.
[We are very grateful to Professor Nigel Glendining for sharing his notes on the history of the Harris family with us].