Comments on: George Cruikshank’s London Summer

By: Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 17:50:54 +0000

I’ve always found Cruikshanks’ work a bit sinister? – the biting caricature is often very appropriate, e.g. in his political cartoons, but I’m surprised that he was thought a suitable illustrator for children’s books like J.A. Paris’s ‘Philosophy in Sport Made Science in Earnest’ (1827): http://bit.ly/29BUZZx

By: pauline taylor

pauline taylor — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 17:45:05 +0000

The wonderful George Cruikshank, he is always in a class of his own. Looking out at my garden from where I sit at my computer the weather very much resembles that shown in the first image. Where has our summer weather gone?

By: Shawdian

Shawdian — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 07:53:31 +0000

The delectable caricaturists who graces Charles Dickens books. Cruickshank was ahead of his time not one afraid to publicly attack the establishment and show his dislike of Politicians or the Royals. 1820 he received a bribe of £100 a pledge not to attack George IV ‘in any immoral
situation’. I doubt he took much notice of that. These illustrations here show the skill of the artists and his awareness of human nature. British summer, (we have no summer this year 🙁 ) His work includes over 10.000 illustrations capturing the devil inside us all at work and at play. He is supposed to have had eleven illegitimate children with his maid Adelaide so he would have needed a huge sense of humour to feed and clothe that lot. He was his ‘own man’ Mr Cruickshank the hilarious! I enjoy looking at the detail in his work with lots of curls and sworls, pretty much like Van Goghs work, maybe this indicates slight madness … After a lifetime of indulgence he became obssessed with anti smoking and drinking, sending out leaflets damning the evils of both of his past pleasures. One can forgive him, hypocrasy after all is what his work is all about.

By: John Barrett

John Barrett — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 07:49:22 +0000

The illustrations shown here for the weather are so good, with costume and comical situations for the period. Nice bathing scene with a big wave flourish. Nothing changed regarding the UK weather its always been good, bad and indifferent. Typical island weather reign’s here, in the 1660’s Samuel Pepys often complained in his diary about the bad weather in June/July he wrote, weeks and weeks of continual rain he was fed up (aren’t we all) he lived in Seething Lane EC3. On one occasion he was wearing light shoes and had to change them. Sam didn’t like wet feet I think he was a dandy he liked lots of ‘good gear’. John B