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Joe's debut into the Pit at Sadler's Wells
George Cruikshank, 1792-1878
1838
Etching on copper
11.1 x 8.1 cm
Facing page 11 in Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Edited by "Boz." With ten illustrations by George Cruikshank.
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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At Sadler's Wells he became a favourite almost as speedily as at Drury Lane. King, the comedian, who was principal proprietor of the former theatre and acting manager of the latter, took a great deal of notice of him, and occasionally gave the child a guinea to buy a rocking-horse or a cart, or some toy that struck his fancy. During the run of the first piece in which he played at Sadler's Wells, he produced his first serious effect, which, but for the good fortune which seems to have attended him in such cases, might have prevented his subsequent appearance on any stage. He played a monkey, and had to accompany the clown (his father) throughout the piece. In one of the scenes, the clown used to lead him on by a chain attached to his waist, and with this chain he would swing him round and round, at arm's length, with the utmost velocity. One evening, when this feat was in the act of performance, the chain broke, and he was hurled a considerable distance into the pit, fortunately without sustaining the slightest injury; for he was flung by a miracle into the very arms of an old gentleman who was sitting gazing at the stage with intense interest.— Chapter I. "His Grandfather and Father — His Birth and first appearance at Drury Lane Theatre, and at Sadler's Wells — His Father's severity — Miss Farren — The Earl of Derby and the Wig — The Fortune-box and Charity's reward — His Father's pretended death, and the behaviour of himself and his brother thereupon," p. 10-11.
Dickens, with his passion for pantomime and glowing childhood memories of seeing Grimaldi, would have been strongly attracted to the subject and it may also be that, as he later claimed, he took the job on partly as a favour to Cruikshank whom Bentley had commissioned to illustrate the work. He made sure, however, that a rather bristling contract with Bentley was drawn up (29 Nov. 1837) whereby he was to receive ₤300 down and a half share of the profits. He then set to work, severely curtailing Wilks's 'dreary twaddle' and using as his amanuensis John Dickens, who evidently revelled in being of use to his famous son and mingling in his ever-expanding social life. Dickens wrote an introductory chapter extolling the delights of pantomime, also a concluding one, and set much store by both of them. Throughout the work there are unmistakable Dickens touches, like the description of Grimaldi 'coughing very fiercely' in an attempt to frighten off some suspected burglars. . . . — Michael Slater, p. 112.
George Cruikshank has captured well the general alarm in the orchestra pit as Joey's father has precipitated him towards the audience; in the illustration it is not evident that the child will land safely. Several of the be-wigged musicians have not yet noticed the thin child in the monkey suit hurtling above their heads, as Joey flies towards the audience. Cruikshank has particularised the shock, anxiety, and concern in members of the audience and musicians as each person has a different response. The gentleman who is about to catch the child has his arms ready at the very left.
The detailed illustration of the Drury Lane in the early 1780s shows the various areas of this "legitimate" theatre: twelve members of the audience (in period fashion) abut against the narrow orchestra pit containing just half-a-dozen musicians, who are immediately underneath a narrow stage. Curtains in "legs" form a backdrop for senior Grimaldi in striped breeches and hose; he stares open-mouthed as the tether to his son has just snapped. Each of the boxes to the left contains three fashionably dressed spectators: the upper has a husband and wife with a boy wearing some sort of ruff or furbelow around his neck; below them, the older and younger lady have expressions reflecting their concern for the child's safety. Completing the interior scene of the eighteenth-century, fully lit auditorium (Cruikshank actually shows a chandelier, high up to the left) is the practicable door (left of centre) and a curtained balcony above it, areas that would have been undoubtedly used in staging such moments as "The Balcony Scene" in Romeo and Juliet. Rococo musical ornamentation below the upper box suggests that Cruikshank had been able to make an actual inspection of the auditorium for the drawing.
Dickens makes specific allusions to Grimaldi's athletic abilities in Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapter 22, The Old Curiosity Shop, Chapter 29, and the Pickwick Papers, Chapter 30. It would seem that the illustrator had already read and the manuscript and selected subjects for illustration before Bentley commissioned Boz's editorial talents, but several of the scenes illustrate bear evidence of Dickens's strong story-telling abilities in the text.
Ackroyd, Peter. Dickens: A Biography. London: Sinclair-Stevenson, 1990.
Ainsworth, William Harrison. Jack Sheppard. A Romance. With 28 illustrations by George Cruikshank. In three volumes. London: Richard Bentley, 1839.
Bentley, Nicholas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens: Index. Oxfiord: Oxford U. P., 1990.
Cohen, Jane Rabb. Part One, "Dickens and His Early Illustrators: 1. George Cruikshank. Charles Dickens and His Original Illustrators. Columbus: Ohio University Press, 1980. Pp. 15-38.
Grimaldi, Joseph, and Charles Dickens. Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, Edited By 'Boz'. With ten illustrations by George Cruikshank. London: George Routledge and Sons. The Broadway, Ludgate. New York: 416, Broome Street, 1869.
Kitton, Frederic G. "George Cruikshank." Dickens and His Illustrators. London: Chapman & Hall, 1899. Pp. 1-28.
Kitton, Frederic G. The Minor Writings of Charles Dickens: A Bibliography and a Sketch. London: Elliot Stock, 1900.
Schlicke, Paul. "Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens. Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1999. P. 374.
Slater, Michael. Charles Dickens: A Life Defined by Writing. New Haven and London: Yale U. P., 2009.
Last modified 5 June 2017