Inventory of the George Cruikshank Papers, 1827-1897

Collection Number 11005

Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contact Information:

Manuscripts Department

CB#3926, Wilson Library

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890

Phone: 919/962-1345

Fax: 919/962-3594

Email: mss@email.unc.edu

URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/

Processed by

Tim Pyatt

Date Processed

April 1995

Encoded by

Roslyn Holdzkom

Date Encoded

October 2002

Descriptive Summary

Repository

General and Literary Manuscripts

Creator

Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878.

Title

George Cruikshank Papers, 1827-1897

Call Number

11005

Extent

2025 items (1.5 linear feet)

Abstract

George Cruikshank was a British artist, social and political caricaturist, and illustrator. The collection includes correspondence about the temperance movement; invitations to lecture and to attend social events; requests for assistance, autographs, and illustrations for worthy causes; copies of about thirty letters written by Cruikshank; manuscript fragments; and scattered references to Cruikshank's drawings and designs. Also present are two caricature sketches by Cruikshank, possibly of Queen Victoria; letters to Cruikshank's wife, Eliza Cruikshank; and a separate series of correspondence to Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson (1827-1896), physician and crusader for various preventative medicine projects, who served as executor for the estate of George Cruikshank, primarily about the estate.

Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access

No restrictions.

Provenance

Purchased from Howes Bookshop Ltd., Hastings, Sussex, England, in 1963; addition purchased from Theodore Hoffman, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, in 1966; addition purchased from Kenneth W. Rendell, Somerville, Mass., in 1969; addition purchased from Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers, London, England, in 1977.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the George Cruikshank Papers #11005, General and Literary Manuscripts, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Cruikshank, Eliza.

Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878.

Richardson, Benjamin Ward, Sir, 1828-1896.

Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901--Caricatures and cartoons.

Artists--England--History--19th century.

Caricatures and cartoons--England.

Estates (Law)--England.

Temperance--England--History--19th century.

England--Social life and customs--19th century.

Biographical/Historical Note

George Cruikshank was born on 27 September 1792 in London. His father, Isaac Cruikshank, was one of the leading caricaturists of the late 1790s and George started his career as his father's apprentice and assistant. Isaac Robert Cruikshank, George's older brother, also followed in the "family business" as a caricaturist and illustrator. George's early work was caricature; but in 1823, at the age of 31, Cruikshank started to focus on book illustration. His first major work was Pierce Egan's Life in London (1821), and he also illustrated Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist (1846). He achieved early success collaborating with William Hone in his political satire The Political House That Jack Built (1819).

In the late 1840s, Cruikshank's focus shifted from book illustration to his obsession with temperance and anti-smoking. He supported, lectured to, and supplied illustrations for the National Temperance Society and the Total Abstinence Society among others. Works such as The Bottle (1847) and The Drunkard's Children (1848) are examples of his efforts to encourage temperance. Cruikshank was made vice president of the National Temperance League in 1856.

Cruikshank developed palsy in later life and his work declined in quality. He died on 1 February 1878 and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson (1828-1896), physician and crusader for preventative medicine, served as executor for the Cruikshank estate.

Collection Overview

The George Cruikshank collection includes correspondence about the temperance movement; invitations to lecture and to attend social events; requests for assistance, autographs, and illustrations for worthy causes; copies of about thirty letters written by Cruikshank; manuscript fragments; and scattered references to Cruikshank's drawings and designs. Also present are two caricature sketches by Cruikshank, possibly of Queen Victoria; letters to Cruikshank's wife, Eliza Cruikshank; and a separate series of correspondence to Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson (1827-1896), physician and crusader for various preventative medicine projects, who served as executor for the estate of George Cruikshank, primarily about the estate.

Organization of Collection

1. Correspondence
1.1. Dated Correspondence
1.2. Undated Correspondence
2. Manuscript Notes, Fragments, and Sketches
3. Benjamin Ward Richardson Correspondence
4. Obituary Notices and Related Material

Detailed Description of the Collection