Caricature
August 1905 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This caricature is of Alfred Cruikshank when he was performing on his banjo at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 7 August 1905. He was billed as a ‘Musical Comedian’. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums. Tom Foy, another of Cooke’s subjects, was also on the bill at Hanley this week.
Cruikshank was also billed as ‘The Fool of the Family’ or ‘Comical Cruikshank’. Born in 1875, he was the son of the singing clown T. C. Cruikshank, who usually appeared as a woman on stilts. Alfred married another variety performer, the ‘poseuse’ La Mio. Cruikshank’s ‘trademark’ make-up is seen here - his white face, painted smile and double dots above his nose. A review of his performance at Hanley shows that his act included songs, comic patter and even cello playing. He died in 1956.
Cruikshank was also billed as ‘The Fool of the Family’ or ‘Comical Cruikshank’. Born in 1875, he was the son of the singing clown T. C. Cruikshank, who usually appeared as a woman on stilts. Alfred married another variety performer, the ‘poseuse’ La Mio. Cruikshank’s ‘trademark’ make-up is seen here - his white face, painted smile and double dots above his nose. A review of his performance at Hanley shows that his act included songs, comic patter and even cello playing. He died in 1956.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink and wash on paper |
| Brief description | Caricature of the music hall performer Alfred Cruikshank (1875-1956) known as 'Comical Cruikshank' or 'The Fool of the Family', from an album of caricatures drawn by George Cooke. August 1905. |
| Physical description | Pen, ink and wash caricature on pink paper of Cruikshank, full-length, sitting on a stool which is covered with a blue cloth with yellow pom-poms. He is shown playing the banjo with his trademark white face and exaggerated red smiling mouth, with two dots between the brows. He wears a large yellow cap with a blue peak, and a yellow knee-length suit with a large white collar and blue bow tie. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Yours faithfully A. Cruikshank The Fool of the Family (Signature; Hand written; Pen and ink) |
| Object history | This caricature is of the music hall performer Alfred Cruikshank (1875-1956), billed as 'Comical Cruikshank' and 'The Fool of the Family.' His father was T.C. Cruikshank, a singing clown who usually appeared as a woman on tall stilts. The caricature comes from the second album of caricatures in a collection of albums owned by the Theatre Museum compiled by the graphic artist George Cooke. It is labelled by the artist 'Geo Cooke HYS BOOKE' and features music hall performers working in the early 20th century. |
| Summary | This caricature is of Alfred Cruikshank when he was performing on his banjo at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 7 August 1905. He was billed as a ‘Musical Comedian’. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums. Tom Foy, another of Cooke’s subjects, was also on the bill at Hanley this week. Cruikshank was also billed as ‘The Fool of the Family’ or ‘Comical Cruikshank’. Born in 1875, he was the son of the singing clown T. C. Cruikshank, who usually appeared as a woman on stilts. Alfred married another variety performer, the ‘poseuse’ La Mio. Cruikshank’s ‘trademark’ make-up is seen here - his white face, painted smile and double dots above his nose. A review of his performance at Hanley shows that his act included songs, comic patter and even cello playing. He died in 1956. |
| Associated object | S.7-1991 (Object) |
| Bibliographic reference | The Performer, 21 June 1906, advertisement of engagement. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.393:13-2002 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | October 22, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
