He was born in 1789 in Middlesex,[1] where he and his brother George attended school in Edgware. Both brothers were interested in the theatre, and performed in dramas they had written themselves with their friend Edmund Kean. Isaac joined the Loyal North Britons, a volunteer military unit, rising to the rank of sergeant when the volunteers turned out in 1803. During adolescence, both brothers attended boxing and fencing matches, cock-fights, and numerous tavern contests.[2]
Cruikshank gained a midshipman's commission in the East India Company's ship Perseverance. Midshipman Cruikshank did not get on with his captain, and returning on his maiden voyage he was deliberately left behind on St Helena.[1] He arrived back in London in 1806 and shocked his family who were in mourning having been told that he was dead.[3]
In the late 1820s, Cruikshank illustrated a number of notable books that were often sequels to previous successes to which he and his brother George had contributed. For example, George Cruikshank illustrated Points of Humour and Isaac Cruikshank illustrated Points of Misery. The brothers collaborated on a series of "London Characters" in 1827. Amongst his other illustrations are some notable ones for Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. They are not as well known as those of William Hogarth or Gustave Doré; however, they can be viewed online at the Quijote Banco de Images.[4] Another is a satirical comment on the marriage of the elderly Grizell, sister of Samuel Hoare Jr., to William Allen; the Quaker couple co-founded Newington Academy for Girls,[5] which Cruikshank refers to as "Newington Nunnery".
Cruikshank caught bronchitis and died aged 66 at his lodgings at 13 Pleasant Row, Pentonville. He was buried in a family vault on the western side of Highgate Cemetery.
