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George Cruikshank (1792-1878)
Passing Events, or, The Tail of the Comet of 1853
hand-coloured etching; sheet 22.2 x 41.5 cm
From the Rex Nan Kivell Collection, National Library of Australia

George Cruikshank, born in London in 1792, was the son of the printmaker and draughtsman Isaac Cruikshank. He learned to use an etching needle before he was ten and went on to execute a large number of very detailed cartoons and book illustrations during his working life. His early work reflects his admiration of Hogarth. The Napoleonic Wars and George IV provided Cruikshank with continuous inspiration for his wittiest cartoons. A long and close association with the anti-government publisher William Hone (1780-1842) was also inspirational and resulted in an influential cartoon entitled Bank Restriction Note (1819) which denounced the execution of women for passing forged bank notes.

In 1820 Cruikshank started working with his brother, Robert, on Life in London, published in monthly parts. This saw Cruikshank move from political cariacture to social observation-as evidenced here in the later work, PassingEvents. As a competent illustrator, Cruikshank modified his style but never pandered to fashion. More than 6000 of his published works and thousands of pencil sketches and watercolours are now distributed throughout the world. text.....

 

September 1998 Volume VIII Number 12

FROM THE DESK OF MALTHUS: HOW THE POPULATION DEBATE BEGAN

Ian Castles sets the scene for a joint seminar entitled Malthus and His Legacy: 200 Years of the Population Debate, to be hosted by the National Academies Forum and the National Library on 17-18 September

THE TENNYSON PORTRAITS: GLIMPSES OF AN AGE

Suzanne Rickard provides an insight into the portraits of Hallam, second Baron Tennyson, and his wife, Audrey Lady Tennyson, which now hang in the National Library's Friends Lounge

'FISH TROUT, YOU'RE OUT!'

Gwenda Beed Davey discovers that the Library's Oral History Collection includes valuable examples of children's folklore

JOHNNY O'KEEFE

Barry York dips into the National Library's music scores and Australiana collection to learn more about Australia's first bona fide rock star

TAPPING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

In the first of two articles, Diana Giese investigates some original literary sources

FRIENDS

A regular news page about the activities of the Friends of the National Library of Australia

NLA SHOP

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