Temperance

A century before Cruikshank became a crusader for alcoholic abstinence, Britain had experienced the “gin craze.” Though the obsession subsided around 1760, in part, due to the five major acts passed by Parliament in 1729, 1736, 1743, 1747 and 1751 to control the appeal and accessibility of gin, the negative effects of alcohol consumption, particularly on low and middle-class citizens, remained a topic of public concern in the nineteenth century.

Temperance societies, such as The Band of Hope, established in 1847 to dissuade working-class children from drinking, and The Church of England Temperance Society, founded in 1862, were formed throughout the Victorian Era as an attempt to minimize the harmful effects alcohol had on individual and societal well-being. Some members of the Temperance Movement advocated for drinking in moderation while more extreme members, often referred to as teetotalers, promoted complete abstention from the consumption or sale of alcohol. 

"The conversion of the caricaturist George Cruikshank from a drunken sot to a campaigning teetotaler seemed to epitomise a period of extraordinarily rapid change in social outlooks." 
David McKitterick, The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain, Volume 6

Following years of heavy drinking, Cruikshank became an adamant teetotaler in his mid-fifties and often illustrated his disdain for the public’s indulgence in alcohol. Cruikshank attended events such as the 1873 Lambeth Palace founding of the Church of England Temperance Society to promote his support of temperance movements. Cruikshank’s continual and unrelenting advocacy for complete teetotalism is speculated to have cost the engraver and illustrator substantial profits. As Blanchard Jerrold (1826-1884) remarks, “Publishers ceased to employ him…[and] for the last ten years of his life, he was without commissions.” Yet, Cruikshank held firm in his beliefs, stating in one of his early temperance speeches, “I wish that I had acted upon the principles of total abstinence only thirty years ago; for if I had, I am convinced that at this time I should have been much better, both in body and mind.” 

The etchings in this collection highlight George Cruikshank’s view on the harmful effects of drinking on one’s health, financial well-being, and family relationships. Some of the following illustrations were featured in books such as My Sketchbook, Life in London, and The Comic Almanack. Also included in the collection are three sketches from the temperance placards published in 1852 by temperance activist, lecturer and publisher, William Tweedie (1803-1863) and two plates from The Bottle, a series of eight panels depicting the dangers of alcohol consumption published by Cruikshank in 1847. Also featured is a letter from Cruikshank to James Gibbs (1804-1891), a London bookbinder, print seller and collector, commending his efforts towards teetotalism. 

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