October - Notice to Quit from George Cruikshank's Steel Etchings to The Comic Almanacks: 1835-1853 c. 1840 - 1880

George Cruikshank etched "October - Notice to Quit" in steel, a biting commentary for "The Comic Almanacks" between 1835 and 1853. Here, we see the stark symbol of eviction—the ‘notice to quit’—brandished like a weapon. Note how Cruikshank portrays the act of ousting as a violent, almost primal confrontation. Observe the figure wielding the rake like a trident, reminiscent of Neptune, yet here, twisted into an instrument of earthly dispossession. The hat is thrown into the air as a sign of despair. Such imagery echoes through time. The motif of forced displacement resurfaces in myriad forms, from ancient Roman expulsions to contemporary refugee crises. The psychological trauma of losing one's home, a primal fear, taps into our collective memory, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. The cyclical progression of this symbol persists, evolving from literal eviction to metaphorical displacements—a constant reminder of humanity's precarious existence, eternally caught in the tides of change and loss.