Holiday Merrymaking

The Rosenbach will be closed from December 24 through January 1, so this will be the last blog post of 2012. As I often do, I decided to turn to our collection of Cruikshank illustrations for some images, this time of holiday merriment. If you aren’t familiar with George Cruikshank, you might enjoy this post from a couple of years ago, that explains his work and our holdings.

We hope you have all been enjoying a festive round of holiday parties. These Cruikshank characters seem to be having some December fun.

George Cruikshank, December from The Comic Almanack. London: Charles Tilt, 1835. Rosenbach Museum & Library 1954.3208

This image is from the 1835 version of Cruikshank’s Comic Almanack; you can read more about the Almanack and its pseudonymous compiler Rigdum Funnidos in a neat blog post from the Princeton graphic arts collection and another one from The Cat’s Meat Shop.

Here are some high spirited New Year’s revellers, this time from the 1838 edition of the Almanack. The girl on the left holds a full cornucopia marked 1838, while the veiled, wraithlike woman on the right drags away an empty cornucopia marked 1837.

George Cruikshank, January from The Comic Almanack. London: Charles Tilt, 1838. Rosenbach Museum & Library 1954.1880.3586

But of course what comes of too many holiday parties is the dread indigestion, which is depicted as torment by devils in this Cruikshank print. It one of several he did depicting medical maladies. Note the pudding on the table with the festive sprig of holly and the second plum pudding being carried by the blue-clad figure in front of the hearth–in my case the culprit is more likely to be too much cheese or artichoke dip.

George Cruikshank after Alfred Crowquill, Indigestion. London: S Knight, 1825. Rosenbach Museum & Library 1954.139

 Enjoy the last few days of 2012, beware the indigestion, and we’ll see you in the New Year!

Kathy Haas is the Assistant Curator at the Rosenbach Museum & Library and the primary poster at the Rosen-blog