2-617-523 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

A satirical banknote: crime, punishment and protest, 1819. Until 1832 the act of forgery in Britain and sometimes even the use of a forged banknote, was punishable by death. The British Government and the Bank of England were both much criticised for their officious application of the law. This powerful and unusual cartoon of a banknote was designed by the satirical cartoonist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank's note features gruesome illustrations such as skulls, a hangman's noose and transportation ships. From 'The Strand Magazine: July to December, 1894'.