Ionicus
Joshua Charles Armitage (26 September 1913 – 29 January 1998) was an English illustrator under the pen name Ionicus. Ionicus may be known best for illustrating the covers of Penguin paperback editions of books by P. Wodehouse, though he contributed cartoons and drawings to Punch for more than 40 years, and provided cover designs and text illustrations for nearly 400 books in total.
Also recorded as Joshua Charles Armitage · J. C. Armitage · Josh Armitage · Joshua Armitage
Ionicus
- Birth Name
- Joshua Charles Armitage
- Born
- 26 September 1913
- Birthplace
- Hoylake, Cheshire, England
- Died
- 29 January 1998
- Place of death
- Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside
- Nationality
- British
- Occupation
- illustrator.
- Education
- Liverpool College of Art.
- Known for
- Punch and Penguin Books.
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Documentary summary
Joshua Charles Armitage (26 September 1913 – 29 January 1998) was an English illustrator under the pen name Ionicus. Ionicus may be known best for illustrating the covers of Penguin paperback editions of books by P. Wodehouse, though he contributed cartoons and drawings to Punch for more than 40 years, and provided cover designs and text illustrations for nearly 400 books in total.
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wikidata · Q6063685 · wikipedia · Ionicus
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Key facts
Key facts
• Imagesize — 150 • Birth Name — Joshua Charles Armitage • Born — 26 September 1913 • Birthplace — Hoylake, Cheshire, England • Died — 29 January 1998 • Place of death — Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside • Nationality — British • Area — Illustrator, cartoonist
Biography
Biography
Armitage was born in 1913, in the town of Hoylake on the Irish Sea, county of Cheshire. When he died there in 1998, it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. In 1939 he married Catherine Buckle, who died in 1988. They had two daughters. Armitage studied at Liverpool School of Art, taught at Wallesey School of Art, and joined the Navy in 1940. He took the name Ionicus for his first cartoon that was published in Punch, 29 March 1944, after two ionic columns in the drawing. Over 40 years he contributed 358 drawings to the magazine.
Book cover art
Book cover art
Although best known for his depiction of Wodehouse's idyllic England, Ionicus also provided dustjacket illustrations for well-known writers in other genres, such as the following: • With interior "illustrations (some color)", a volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales published by Chanticleer Press Inc in The Heirloom Library, (1950s probably) • Children's fantasy novels by Diana Wynne Jones: Charmed Life, The Magicians of Caprona, and Witch Week (1977 to 1982) • Horror novels by Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes: The King's Ghost, Tales From The Hidden World, and The Haunted Grange (1985 to 1988)
Wartime art
Wartime art
During his wartime service in the British Navy, Ionicus contributed to the Admiralty-sponsored monthly magazine Ditty Box.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1913
Ionicus born at Hoylake.
1998
Ionicus died at Hoylake.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."Ionicus: Artist whose illustrations caught the spirit of P G Wodehouse's country house world" (obituary). The Daily Telegraph. 7 February 1998. Reprint at the Russian Wodehouse Society (wodehouse.ru) retrieved 2008-07-02.
- 2."Obituary: Ionicus". David Langdon. The Independent. 3 February 1998. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
- 3."Diana Wynne Jones UK First Edition cover art: Dustwrappers 1970–1982" (maulu.demon.co.uk) at the Internet Archive. Archived 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
- 4.(ISFDB). Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- 5.The King's Ghost. Fantastic Fiction (fantasticfiction.co.uk). Retrieved 2008-07-02. Bibliographic data not including identification of cover or interior illustrator. 'Ionicus' fits a signature visible but illegible in the book cover image; not visible in the cover images for sequel books.
- 6.Tales From The Hidden World. Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- 7.The Haunted Grange. Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- 8.R. Chetwynd-Hayes at ISFDB. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
- 9."Artists: Ionicus". The Art of War. The National Archives (nationalarchives.gov.uk). Retrieved 2008-07-02.
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Secondary witness
Further particulars
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Further particulars
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He also worked under the name Ionicus. The authorities additionally record the headings Joshua Charles Armitage, J. Armitage, Josh Armitage and Joshua Armitage.
Identity and origins
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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