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George Cruikshank letters to Angus B. Reach and Captain Hurley

 Collection
Identifier: MS 297
Finding aid note: Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center.

Scope and Contents

Two autographed letters by George Cruikshank. One letter, dated November 7, 1845 is addressed to Angus B. Reach (1821-1856), a journalist and author of Clement Lorimer, or, The Book with the Iron Clasps. George Cruikshank provided twelve etchings for this novel. Another letter, dated March 20, 1868 is addressed to Captain [Edwin] Hurley. This letter is mounted in a slip-cased bound volume, with a portrait (etching) of George Cruikshank (Daniel Maclise, 1833). .

Dates

  • 1845
  • 1868

Creator

Restrictions on Access

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from the George Cruikshank letters, 1845, 1968 must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Biographical Sketch

George Cruikshank, born in London on September 27, 1792 to a Scottish painter, Isaac Cruikshank, and his wife, was an English humorist and illustrator. Briefly educated at Edgeware, he is considered by some to be one of the best humorists that Britain ever produced. Cruikshank began his career as a political satirist but moved on to become a book illustrator. He also had a late interest in oil painting, enrolling in the Academy Schools as a student at the age of sixty-four. In his lifetime he created nearly 10,000 prints, illustrations, and plates. His early drawings often featured attacks on Britain’s royal family. In the 1820s his preoccupation with political caricature waned, however, as he became more interested in theatrical caricatures and book illustrations. Cruikshank produced some of his best-known work for Charles Dickens, beginning with Sketches by Boz, (1836) and reaching an apex with Oliver Twist, Oliver Twist, (1838). Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Pilgrim’s Progress, Paradise Lost, and seven novels by William Harrison Ainsworth were among other works he illustrated.

Cruikshank married Mary Ann Walker (1807-1849) on October 16, 1827. Two years after her death, on March 7, 1851, he married Eliza Widdison. Later in his life, Cruikshank supported the temperance movement, creating prints illustrating the evils of alcohol. Collections of his works are in the British and the Victoria and Albert museums. George Cruikshank died February 1, 1878.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract:

Two autographed letters by George Cruikshank, one addressed to Angus B. Reach, 1845, the other addressed to Captain [Edwin] Hurley, 1868.

Provenance

The 1868 letter was donated in 1970; the 1845 letter was purchased in 1980.

Related Materials

See Robert L. Patten: George Cruikshank research materials, MS 493, Woodson Research Center

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the George Cruikshank letters to Angus B. Reach and Captain Hurley, 1845, 1868
Status
Completed
Author
Lisa Moellering
Date
2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892