English Caricaturists and Graphic Humourists of the Nineteenth Century.

A lively survey of English caricature charts the evolution of comic drawing from the post‑Napoleonic era right up to the mid‑nineteenth century. The author weaves together biographical sketches of artists such as Gillray, Rowlandson, Bunbury and their successors, showing how their exaggerated lines and bold exaggerations reflected the politics, scandals and social currents of their day.

Interspersed with around seventy finely reproduced wood‑engravings, the volume lets listeners picture the original plates while learning how caricaturists balanced artistic skill with satirical punch. Essays on the press’s reaction to these works reveal the era’s taste for wit and the power of visual humor to shape public opinion.

Overall, the book offers a clear, engaging portrait of a vibrant chapter in cultural history, illuminating how humor on paper both mirrored and influenced the world it depicted.