His family came to Brisbane in 1874, and he attended the Kangaroo Point State School and began his work life as a telegraph messenger.
He taught artists such as Daphne Mayo, William Leslie Bowles, Lloyd Rees, Daisy Nosworthy and Florence Bland.
[2] In 1938, Harvey opened an applied art school at Horsham House, Adelaide Street, Brisbane and taught a wide range of people and was associated with the most significant Queensland artists of his day.
His funeral was held on 21 July 1949 at St Mary's Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point followed by a cremation at the Mount Thompson Crematorium.
[2] This Wikipedia article incorporates text from The Work of L. J. Harvey and his school (26 July 2011) by Janette Whitehead published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 28 March 2020.