“IT IS DECIDEDLY UNFAIR TO CRUIKSHANK TO RANK HIM SIMPLY AS A CARICATURIST…”

(CRUIKSHANK, George) HAMILTON, Walter. A Memoir of George Cruikshank, Artist and Humourist. With Numerous Illustrations, and a £1 Bank Note. London: Elliot Stock, 1878. Octavo, contemporary three-quarter teal calf gilt, raised bands, marbled boards and endpapers, top edge gilt. $250.

First edition of this biographical lecture delivered shortly before the death of 19th-century illustrator George Cruikshank, with numerous in-text examples of Cruikshank’s best illustrations, handsomely bound.

Recounting the life, times, and accomplishments of George Cruikshank, this lecture was written and delivered at the Chelsea Literary and Scientific Institution not long before Cruikshank’s death. Here, Hamilton combines humor, anecdote, and historical fact to paint an engaging portrait of one of the 19th century’s most famous illustrators. With original wrappers bound in.

Front inner paper hinge split, light rubbing to extremities, toning to spine. A near-fine copy.