George CruikshankEnglish, 1792–1878The Sentimental Novel Reader
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London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
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- In this state since
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- The museum
About the work
This sketch by George Cruikshank illustrates a scene in The Greatest Plague of Life, or the Adventures of a Lady in Search of a Good Servant, by the Brothers Mayhew (1847). The servant, Betsy, is discovered reading a romantic novel when she should be undertaking her daily chores. (Chapter 13)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 9809A
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Meanwhile, in the life of George Cruikshank
The whole life1835–1853
Publishes “The Comic Almanack”
He publishes “The Comic Almanack”, for which he prepares not only the illustrations but the text as well.
late 1840s
Becomes a champion of temperance
In the late 1840s Cruikshank’s attention shifts from book illustration to temperance and the fight against smoking: a former heavy drinker, he supports, lectures to and draws for the National Temperance Society and the Total Abstinence Society. His committed teetotalism further sours his friendship with Dickens, who held to moderation.
1849
His first wife dies
His wife Mary Ann (1807–1849) dies; two years later he marries again.
