Cruikshank, George (1792-1878) , English illustrator and caricaturist, born in London. His etchings and wood engravings, combining drama and wit, appeared in more than 200 works. Cruikshank first attracted attention with his colored caricatures, published separately or in The Scourge (1811-16), and other satirical periodicals. His subjects, always treated with sharp, satirical insight, ranged from great statesmen to Cockneys, from church scenes to tavern brawls. He etched the illustrations for the Humorist (1819-21); Peter Schlemihl (1823), by Adelbert von Chamisso; German Popular Stories (1824-26), by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm; and the magazine Miscellany (1837-43). He also illustrated the Spanish classic Don Quixote (1834) and Oliver Twist (1839), by Charles Dickens. Cruikshank condemned alcohol in two series, The Bottle (1847) and The Drunkard's Children (1848).