Grant, C. J.

C. J. Grant (fl. c. 1830 - 1852), sometimes signing as C. J. G., was a British illustrator and artist based in London best known for his satirical works and political caricatures. Little is known of his life and even his full name remains a matter of debate; it is most often considered to be Charles Jameson Grant based on a later source, but no contemporary sources list a person of this name living in London at the time, while a Charles John Grant and Charles James Grant, an engraver and printer respectively, were known to be active in London during the most active part of his career. In any event, C.J. Grant most often worked in wood engraving, which was a much less expensive method of production, making the resulting prints more accessible to a working-class audience. He was affiliated with the Parliamentary Radicals and later the Chartists, both of which supported democratic reforms, including widening the franchise. His most ambitious work was The Political Drama (published 1833 - 1836), a series of 131 engravings attacking the Whigs and Tories, political rivals of the Radicals. Other frequent targets of derision in his work were the monarchy, bishops, magistrates, and the Metropolitan Police. Grant also wrote pantomimes and popular theater in addition to his engravings. He appears to have had a strong tendency for tumultuous personal relationships, having several public and vituperative disputes with former associates, including caricaturist William Heath and publisher Gabriel Shire Tregear. Grant's productivity declined from the late 1830s onwards and dropped precipitiously in the early 1840s; he was likely hurt by the 1836 enforcement of the Stamp Act that made the publication of single-sheet penny satires unprofitable. He also switched to a focus on social humor and commentary and less outwardly political subject, perhaps due to political pressure (some book stalls that sold The Political Drama may have been prosecuted). He increasingly produced engravings for 'scandal sheets,' another sign of difficult financial straits and professional difficulties. Grant's last known print was published in 1852.