December - Christmas Bustle from George Cruikshank's Steel Etchings to The Comic Almanacks: 1835-1853 c. 1840 - 1880

George Cruikshank made this steel etching, titled "December - Christmas Bustle," to be included in The Comic Almanacks between 1835 and 1853. Cruikshank mastered the technique of steel etching, in which lines are incised into a metal plate with a sharp tool, then filled with ink and printed onto paper. Note the fineness of the lines, which lend themselves well to the detail required for social satire. The result is a remarkable level of detail, allowing him to capture the energy and chaos of a Christmas party. Look closely, and you’ll see that while everyone is dressed to the nines, the space they inhabit is rather modest. And if you look at the advertisements, the “Saloon of Fashion” is flanked by promotions for bear grease and hair oil. These were commodities marketed to a burgeoning middle class, keen to improve their social standing. Cruikshank acknowledges the importance of materials, making and context to emphasize the class consciousness of the rising middle class in the Victorian era.