George Cruikshank (1792-1878) in Protest: The Artist as a “Public Moralist”

George Cruikshank (1792-1878) was a British illustrator and satirist who used not only his art as a form of protest, but also other forms of communication, such as pamphlets, letters to the press, and oration. Cruikshank’s diverse causes include political lampoons which critique government attempts to suppress this very form of protest, social reforms, and a zealous, almost dogmatic, involvement with the Temperance movement. Taking into account the diversity of the objects and forms of Cruikshank’s protest, this paper will seek to explore the ethical and ideological motivations which led him to engage in public debate, the evolution of his ideas, and his place in a wider ideological context. Examining his expressed desire to impact government or individual actions, we will argue that the many forms of his protest contribute to establish the artist as a Victorian public moralist.