| Administrative History | George Cruikshank was born in 1792 in London to the Scottish painter and caricaturist Isaac Cruikshank. He began his own artistic career as a political caricaturist by attacking the Royal Family, especially the Prince Regent. With his reputation as a social commentator and satirist established, he attracted the notice of Dickens and became his illustrator, working with him on 'Sketches by Boz' (1836) and 'Oliver Twist' (1838). After Dickens's death Cruikshank wrote a letter to 'The Times' (1871) in which he claimed that he had substantially contributed to the plot of 'Oliver Twist', a claim which created considerable controversy.
Andrew Bethune Reach was born at Inverness in 1821 and attended the Inverness Royal Academy. Later he studied at Edinburgh University and when the family moved to London in 1842 he became a reporter in the House of Common gallery. In 1849, the year 'Clement Lorimer' was published in monthly installments, he joined the staff of 'Punch.' |