George Cruikshank

January 28, 2020

George Cruikshank was a 19th century engraver, caricaturist, illustrator, and satirist. The Cruikshank family was awash with artist/illustrators, including George himself, his father Isaac, brother Isaac Robert (later known as Robert), and nephew Percy.

Cruikshank's career spanned more than 70 years, working in both copper and in wood. He is often cited as the successor of illustrator William Hogarth. While exceptionally prolific, Cruikshank remains best known for his work on sociopolitical topics such as slavery and temperance, as well as for his political satire and caricature. Popular targets included the British royal family, particularly George III and IV, and Napoleon.

His biographer, Walter Hamilton, stated "… a complete collection of his works would give an intelligent foreigner a more clear and vivid impression of the politics, costume, amusements, literature, and popular prejudices of the English people for the last three-quarters of a century, than any history I have ever met with." The reading of popular historical works, including images, provides insight into the everyday experiences of those who lived them. This is especially true in regards to political caricature and satire. A modern example of this practice is the work of local editorial cartoonist Merle Cunnington.

Should your interest lie in Cruikshank himself, Special Collections & Archives houses several biographies including Blanchard Jerrold's The Life of George Cruikshank: In Two Epochs, Walter Hamilton's A Memoir of George Cruikshank: Artist and Humorist, and Frederic George Stephens' A Memoir of George Cruikshank.

For those most keen to see or make a study of his work, there are several catalogs and compilations available. These include the 1835 publication Cruikshankiana: An Assemblage of the Most Celebrated Works of George Cruikshank, 1845 and 1885 editions of George Cruikshank's Table-Book, Cruikshank's Omnibus: Illustrated with One Hundred Engravings on Steel and Wood from 1842, and the three volume A Descriptive Catalogue of the Works of George Cruikshank: Etchings, Woodcuts, Lithographs, and Glyphographs … from 1871.

Special Collections and Archives also houses numerous individual works Cruikshank illustrated. Most well-know of these is Charles Dickens' The Adventures of Oliver Twist. Others include Life in London, or, The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn by Pierce Egan, Windsor Castle: An Historical Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth, and Charles Dibdin's Songs, Naval and National: Of the Late Charles Dibdin; with a Memoir and Addenda.

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