George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a famous English book illustrator and caricaturist, known as the “modern Hogarth” during his lifetime. He started his career by producing satirical cartoons that depicted political events and then continued his work as an illustrator for children’s books mostly.
Cruikshank was born in London in the family of Isaac Cruikshank who was a popular caricaturist and illustrator. George Cruikshank was apprenticed to him and became his assistant. During his lifetime, Cruikshank was married twice and became a father to over ten children, both legitimate and not.
Cruikshank first gained popularity with his series of political caricatures for The Scourge, a Monthly Expositor of Imposture and Folly periodical. Eventually, he reached the success of James Gillray, the leading caricaturist of that period. Then, Cruikshank moved his interest from political cartoons to book illustrations. The most famous works were the illustrations to Sketches by “Boz,” (1837) and Oliver Twist (1838) by Charles Dickens. Friendship with the latter also contributed to Cruikshank’s success.
Apart from making illustrations, Cruikshank was publishing The Comic Almanack (1835–53). In the 1840s, he started promoting moral aspects. He called for temperance in Bottle (1847) and The Drunkard’s Children (1848) series of plates and painted a huge canvas The Worship of Bacchus in 1860-1863.
George Cruikshank spent over 30 years in an attempt to influence the society and convince it to reduce the alcohol consumption. In general, he created about ten thousand works including illustrations, prints, and plates. Collections of his works are kept in the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. There is also a blue plaque to commemorate Cruikshank, which is located in Camden Town, UK.