Isaac Robert Cruikshank, sometimes known as Robert Cruikshank (27 September 1789 – 13 March 1856), was a caricaturist, illustrator and portrait miniaturist, the less well-known brother of

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached ...

, both sons of

Isaac Cruikshank Isaac Cruikshank ( bapt. 14 October 1764 1811) was a Scottish painter and caricaturist, known for his social and political satire. Biography Cruikshank was the son of Andrew Crookshanks ( 1725 c. 1783), a former customs inspector, dispossess ...

. Just like them he holds importance as a

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

in the

history of comics The history of comics has followed different paths in different parts of the world. It can be traced back to early precursors such as Trajan's Column, in Rome, Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Bayeux Tapestry. Early narratives in art Examples of ...

for creating several cartoons which make use of narrative sequence and

speech balloon Speech balloons (also speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, or word balloons) are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comics, and cartoons to allow words (and much less often, pictures) to be understood as representing a char ...

Grave of Isaac Robert Cruikshank in Highgate Cemetery

Life

He was born in 1789 in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, where he and his brother George attended school in

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...

. Both brothers were interested in the theatre, and performed in dramas they had written themselves with their friend

Edmund Kean Edmund Kean (4 November 178715 May 1833) was a celebrated British Shakespearean stage actor born in England, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuo ...

. Isaac joined the Loyal North Britons, a volunteer military unit, rising to the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

when the volunteers turned out in 1803. During adolescence both brothers attended boxing and fencing matches, cock-fights, and numerous tavern contests. Cruikshank gained a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

's commission in the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

's ship ''Perseverance''. Midshipman Cruikshank did not get on with his captain, and returning on his maiden voyage he was deliberately left behind on

St Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

. He arrived back in London in 1806 and shocked his family who were in mourning having been told that he was dead. In the late 1820s Cruikshank illustrated a number of notable books that were often sequels to previous successes to which he and his brother George had contributed. For example, George Cruikshank illustrated ''Points of Humour'' and Isaac Cruikshank illustrated ''Points of Misery''. The brothers collaborated on a series of "London Characters" in 1827. Amongst his other illustrations are some notable ones for

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

' classic novel ''

Don Quixote de la Mancha is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Western ...

''. They are not as well known as those of

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engraving ...

; however, they can be viewed online at the ''Quijote Banco de Images''. Another is a satirical comment on the marriage of the elderly Grizell, sister of Samuel Hoare Jr., to

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

; the Quaker couple co-founded

Newington Academy for Girls The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a List of Friends schools, Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when Female education, girls' educational opportuniti ...

,David Mander. ''Look Back, Look Forward: an illustrated history of Stoke Newington''. Sutton Publishing and the London Borough of Hackney, 1997, cited i
Quaker history page
which Cruikshank refers to as "Newington Nunnery". Cruikshank caught

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

and died aged 66 at his lodgings at 13 Pleasant Row,

Pentonville Pentonville is an area on the northern fringe of Central London, in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient parish o ...

. He was buried in a family vault on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

Gallery

Jackson inauguration crop.jpg, 1829 caricature by Robert Cruikshank of US President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

's inauguration An Irish epitaph LCCN2002720222.tif, English caricature, at the expense of the supposed illogicality of the Irish, showing porcine man, old woman and dog looking at toombstone. Dandies at the opera, one of them swooning, overcome with Wellcome L0027315.jpg, Dandies at the opera. A cholera patient experimenting with remedies. Coloured Wellcome V0011135.jpg, A cholera patient experimenting with remedies.

References

Bibliography

*''Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists 1730-1980''. Compiled by Mark Bryant and Simon Heneage. Aldershot, England: Scolar Press, 1994. * ''Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires Preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum'', Mary Dorothy George. Vol VI, 1938 Vol VII, 1942 VOL VIII 1947, VOL IX 1949

External links

* *
Cruikshank
on the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruikshank, Isaac Robert 1789 births 1856 deaths Anglo-Scots 19th-century engravers Burials at Highgate Cemetery English caricaturists English cartoonists English illustrators English comics artists English satirists British engravers People from Edgware