Isaac Robert Cruikshank, sometimes known as Robert Cruikshank (27 September 1789 – 13 March 1856), was a

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...

, illustrator and portrait miniaturist, the less well-known brother of

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank or Cruickshank ( ; 27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern William Hogarth, Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dicken ...

, both sons of

Isaac Cruikshank Isaac Cruikshank (born 5 October 1764; 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 ...

. Just like them, he holds importance as a

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...

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 The earlies ...

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 charac ...

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, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, where he and his brother George attended school in

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northwest London. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex east of the ancient Watling Street in what is now the London Borough of Barnet but it is now informally considered to cover a wider area, inc ...

. 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 British Shakespearean actor, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuous personal life, and controversial div ...

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

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

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 Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

's commission in the

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

'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 one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

. 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 a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

' classic novel ''

Don Quixote de la Mancha , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

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

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

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

; 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; the Quaker couple co-founded

Newington Academy for Girls The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when girls' educational opportunities were limited, it offered a wide range ...

,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 in North London, located in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the London Inner Ring Road, Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient p ...

. 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, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

Gallery

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

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

'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 tombstone. 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 known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

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