Cruikshank's Water Colours: Illustrated

Publisher Marketing: It is fair to characterise the three suites of original water-colour drawings, as executed by our artist, as unique examples of the great George Cruikshank's special individual proficiency as an exponent of this branch of technical dexterity. More-over, it may be regarded as a fortunate circumstance that the three works, here reproduced with amazing fidelity in facsimile, represent happily the very chefs d'oeuvre of his wonderful productions; in their respective categories, preserving the best examples of his remarkable genius as an imaginative creator of vivid pictures, alike stirring and animated, and representing at one glance his vast dramatic powers, his mastery of the humorous side of life, and the intensity he was consistently able to infuse into terrible and tragic scenes. It is noteworthy that the inimitable artist George Cruikshank but rarely pro-duced finished water-colour drawings; the bulk of his prolific and familiarly rec-ognised designs for book illustrations were mostly dainty pencil sketches, occa-sionally finished in pen and ink. It is a problem difficult to solve satisfactorily whether, beyond the three memorable instances of the works here reproduced in facsimile, there are in existence any other complete suites of original illustrations by George Cruikshank-that is to say, fully executed by his master hand as finished water-colour drawings. Tinted sketches may be found in the prized possessions of Cruikshank collectors, and spirited studies for many of his favourite and most successful subjects have been cleverly touched in with watercolours; for instance, such as certain of his original drawings as designed for the illustrations of Harri-son Ainsworth's Tower of London, and the clever historical and picturesque series of Windsor Castle designs; these are, however, to be regarded as exceptional cases, for the bulk of these most successful and popular designs were carefully executed in pencil, or occasionally outlined with the pen, and highly finished with washes of warm sepia. It is worthy of recollection that Cruikshank was a most dexterous artist in this monochrome branch, his earlier artistic experiences having been al-most exclusively in the walk of aqua-tinted etchings; all his early book illustrations, his caricatures, and satirical plates-social or political-were uniformly etched by his hand in the most spirited fashion, after his ready sketches and rough studies, and when the outline etching was bitten in, Cruikshank elaborately worked out his colour suggestions, for light and shade, with a brush over the first-etched outline, in tones of sepia or Indian ink, for the guidance of the professional 'aquatinters'-the school of artists to whose trained skill was entrusted the task of completing these plates to produce the effect of highly finished washed drawings in mono-chrome. By this, his youthful practice, George Cruikshank had acquired remarka-ble dexterity, his original pen-and-ink designs, and the outline etchings, after his earlier book illustrations, being worked up in monochrome to the dainty finish of delicate miniatures, in which art both his father Isaac and his brother Isaac Robert were first-class proficients, as he himself has recorded with pride in describing the special gifts and qualifications which distinguished the Cruikshank family. Contributor Bio:  Cruikshank, George On Friday, February 7, 1812, the famous Victorian literature author, Charles John Huffam Dickens was born. Raised by parents John and Elizabeth, Charles began his life in a middle class home in the No. 1 mile end Terrace of Landport, Portsmouth, England. As a young boy, Dickens was taught to read by his mother and was formally educated between the ages of 9 and 15. Charles' father considered him to be a 'young prodigy.' He was often sent to tell stories to clerks at the navy pay office, where his father worked. At the age of 12, Dickens father was imprisoned for debt. As a means of helping his mother support his 7 brothers and sisters, Charles was removed from school and sent to work at a boot blacking factory. Earning very little money and surviving off of small portions of food, Charles was forced to live in the attic of a woman's home while the rest of his family resided in prison with their father. After his father was released from prison, Charles chose to continue his life in the work force and held jobs at a lawyer's office and also as a reporter. During his time as a reporter, Dickens' writing career began to lift off. His first published story, A Dinner at Poplar Walk, was printed when he was only 21 in Monthly Magazine in December of 1833. With a new career as an author, Dickens began to write numerous short stories and novels which were published in either weekly or monthly segments in newspapers and magazines. As he began to become more and more well known, Dickens chose the name "Boz" to sign his works. Later in his career, Charles met Catherine Hogarth and quickly fell in love. The two were wed on April 2nd, 1836. Although their relationship was not without its ups and downs, the pair had 10 children together. In 1858, Charles and Catherine separated, but they continued to live together until her death 20 years later. Throughout his career, Dickens wrote 15 novels and many short stories. Growing up in the height of the Industrial Revolution, many of Dickens' themes focused on the negative treatment of the poor in urban areas. Working at the boot blacking factory as a child seemed to be his most life-changing experience as many of his stories' themes reflect this particular time of his life.