"Mr. Lambkin having come into his property" — Cruikshank's first regular illustration for Cruikshank's own <span class="book">Mr. Lambkin (Gent.) in the Pursuit of Pleasure and Amusement</span> (1844)

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Mr. Lambkin having come into his property

George Cruikshank

1844

Steel-engraving

10 cm high by 8.7 cm wide, framed

Illustration for George Cruikshank's The Bachelor’s Own Book; Or, The Progress Of Mr. Lambkin (Gent.), in the Pursuit Of Pleasure And Amusement, p. 2.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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Passage Illustrated

Mr. Lambkin, having come into his property, enters the world upon the very best possible terms with himself, and makes his toilet to admiration. [page 2]

Commentary

Influenced perhaps by Thomas Carlyle's clothing metaphor in Sartor Resartus (1838), Cruikshank takes issue with the old maxim that "clothes make the man." Having finally come into his expectations, Lambkin, no longer a youth, attempts to re-shape his middle-aged image into that of a fashionable, young dandy. In this initial panel, a fatuous middle-aged bachelor critically contemplates his image in the tailor's mirror as he pulls on his yellow, kidskin gloves. The satirical illustrator reveals his attitude towards his subject through the strategically placed classical picture of Narcissus's regarding his own image reflected in the water, a cautionary note about the dangers of vanity. The new suit is the opening phase of the would-be dandy's courtship campaign.

Reference

Cruikshank, George. The Bachelor’s Own Book; Or, The Progress Of Mr. Lambkin, In The Pursuit Of Pleasure And Amusement. Glasgow: David Bryce, 1844, rpt. 1880.

Vogler, Richard A. Graphic Works of George Cruikshank. Dover Pictorial Archive Series. New York: Dover, 1979.

Last modified 15 May 2018