Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878, English caricaturist, illustrator, and etcher; younger son of Isaac Cruikshank (1756-1810), caricaturist. Self-taught, George early gained a reputation for his humorous drawings and political and social satires. He succeeded James Gillray as the most popular caricaturist of his day. Cruikshank illustrated more than 850 books and contributed to such publications as the Meteor, the Scourge, and the Satirist. Among the best of his many illustrations are the famous Life in London (in collaboration with his brother); his masterly etchings for Grimm's German Popular Stories; and the 12 etchings in Richard Bentley's miscellany, which include the notable illustrations of Oliver Twist. In his later years Cruikshank made many drawings depicting the evils of intemperance, such as The Drunkard's Children, The Bottle, and The Gin Trap. Collections of his works are in the British and the Victoria and Albert museums.

(born , Sept. 27, 1792, London, Eng.—died Feb. 1, 1878, London) English painter, illustrator, and caricaturist. His series of political caricatures for The Scourge (1811–16) established him as the leading political cartoonist of his generation, and he continued to satirize the policies of the Tories and Whigs in political cartoons until circa 1825. In the 1820s and '30s he produced book illustrations, notably for Charles Dickens's Sketches by “Boz” (1836) and Oliver Twist (1838). In later life he embraced the cause of temperance with his series The Bottle (1847) and The Drunkard's Children (1848).

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