George Cruickshank developed into one of the greatest British book illustrators. His
working life of over seventy years began as his father's assistant in political and social
caricature in 1806 and, with no formal artistic training, by the time he was eighteen
had succeeded James Gilray as the leading caricaturist of the day. At thirty-one he
turned to book illustration, a field which he was to dominate for the next twenty-five
years. During that time Cruikshank overcame an addiction to alcohol, turning into an
exuberant advocate of Total Abstinence.
