Infatuation, Round Text & Small Hand, The Three Tuns, Just Room for Three Insides Sir, A Spare Rib, The Better Half 1831

Editor: Here we have a print by George Cruikshank titled "Infatuation, Round Text & Small Hand, The Three Tuns, Just Room for Three Insides Sir, A Spare Rib, The Better Half." The composition with all those plump characters feels really loaded and almost grotesque. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider the context of its production. Etchings like this were mass-produced; think about the accessibility that afforded and how it democratized art consumption. What social commentary do you think the artist was offering to this broader audience through the depiction of these figures? Editor: I guess it shows how easily accessible and how much people wanted to eat during that time. I never thought about it like that! Curator: Precisely! The piece invites us to consider the labor involved and how those materials would circulate.