George Cruikshank

George Cruikshank (1792-1878), caricaturist and illustrator

George Cruikshank (1792-1878) was undoubtedly the most successful and influential caricaturist and illustrator of the 19th century. He was unbelievably productive with close to 15 thousand drawings in his lifetime. The quality of his work, although not consistent to the very end of his life, is undeniable, yet he owes a large part of his fame to some controversies as well.

His father Isaac (1764-1811) was a successful caricaturist which is true for his older brother Isaac Robert (1789-1856) but George surpassed both by a large margin. He didn't achieve much of a formal education. his father rather used a young talented boy as an apprentice who was a good worker and a great observer, especially of people from his neighborhood, which inspired his caricatures in his early career and marked his style for the rest of his life.

Social and political satire became the most important part of his life even before his teenage years and the royal family together with the leading politicians soon became his favorite targets. King George IV and his wife Queen Caroline were especially good ones due to their adultery. It is believed George Cruikshank got at least one bribe from the king just to not portray him in indecent situations.

Some of his finest and most well-accepted caricatures are today considered racist and sexist.

Still active as a caricaturist he became a book illustrator in the early 1820s. His first major work was a book titled German Stories, a two-volume work with Grimm's fairy tales. To the end of his life, he illustrated more than 800 books!

source: Blue Beard by Cruikshank

He illustrated numerous important works from the world literature, including Pentamerone, the first collection of fairy tales with many predecessors of today's fairy tales which are now considered classics, but Basile's Pentamerone was aimed at a completely different audience and most of his stories are now considered as vulgar and absolutely inappropriate for children.

source: Pentamerone by Cruikshank

While these books belong to the world literary treasury today, Cruikshank's most praised illustrations became ones for Charles Dickens' classics, among which Oliver Twist is definitely best known and also controversial. His friendship with Dickens was broken when Cruikshank, a former heavy drinker himself (his father and brother were alcoholics) joined the Temperance Movement and started fiercely attacking drinking and smoking. After Dickens' death, Cruikshank also started claiming the majority of the plot of Oliver Twist was his and not Dickens' idea.

Another controversy is his private life. While he preached to others about moral standards, he was married twice (more than two decades for his first wife and after becoming a widower for more than a quarter of a century with the second) but had no children. Only after his death, it was revealed he also had a mistress, a former servant who lived only a few houses away, and was ostensibly married but had born him eleven illegitimate children. The youngest was born when George was way over 80 years old!

No matter if you like George's work and views, you have to admit, he was productive in all areas of life.