Joseph Simpson
Illustration — "Your Motherland Will Never Forget", illustration by Simpson from Canada in Khaki, a magazine published in Toronto between 1917 and 1919 that described the participation of Canadians in World War I and aimed to raise money for the Canadian War Memorial Fund. The illustration depicts a personification of the "Motherland" welcoming back a First World War soldier returning victorious from the front, as suggested by the German helmets on the soldier's backpack. Joseph William Simpson (1879–1939) was a British painter and etcher of portraits and sporting subjects, and a magazine illustrator.
Also recorded as Joseph William Simpson · Joseph W. Simpson
Joseph Simpson

Joseph Simpson · A Gallery of Heroes and Heroines, 1915 ( · Public domain
- Born
- 1879 · Carlisle.
- Died
- 1939 · London.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- painter · etcher · artist · caricaturist · illustrator
- Fields
- visual arts
- Languages
- English
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Authority files
wikidata · Q6287005
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Biography
Biography
The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is visual arts. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait. Places of work recorded in the authority are London and Edinburgh. Work by Joseph Simpson is recorded in the collections of Auckland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, National Library of Wales, Print Collection and The Tullie.
Simpson was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, in 1879. He attended the Glasgow School of Art and initially worked in Edinburgh as an illustrator and cartoonist. He was the editor of The Book of Bookplates (1900-1903), Books and Bookplates (1903-04) and the later publication The Book-Lovers' Magazine. In 1901 he was the co-author with Wilbur Macey Stone of The Purple Book of Book-plates, which was published in New York. He was employed by the publishers T. N. Foulis as a typeface designer and also designed some covers and bookplates in chapbook style. In 1905, Simpson came to London, working for the press doing poster designs and doing oil paintings in his spare time. His studio was next door to that of Frank Brangwyn who in 1909 encouraged Simpson to do his first etching. He taught for a while at the London School of Art and in 1918, became an official war artist with the Royal Air Force, spending time stationed in France. His first exhibition of etchings took place in Glasgow at Wishart Brown in March 1926, and this was followed in November by a very successful London exhibition, staged by Alex, Reid & Lefevre. He also exhibited in Munich, Venice, Florence and Stockholm. He died in London in 1939.
Documentary record
Joseph Simpson appears in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as an illustrator, painter and caricaturist (1879 – 1939). Joseph Simpson was born in 1879. Joseph Simpson died in 1939.
Artists' group
Artists' group
The Scotsman, after Simpson's death, reported that he had been part of

Portrait of General James Wolfe by Joseph Simpson
Joseph Simpson · A Gallery of Heroes and Heroines, 1915 (

Portrait of Elizabeth Fry by Joseph Simpson
Joseph Simpson · A Gallery of Heroes and Heroines, 1915 (
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1879
Joseph Simpson born at Carlisle.
1939
Joseph Simpson died at London.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Carlisle.
Birth place
London.
Death place
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Joseph Simpson (artist), revision 1364694650 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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reference work
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Further particulars
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Joseph Simpson is recorded as painter, etcher, artist, caricaturist and illustrator.
Recognition and collections
Work by Joseph Simpson is
Auckland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, National Library of Wales and Print Collection
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.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Joseph NashIllustrator
- Joseph ParrocelIllustrator
- Joseph PaxtonIllustrator
- Joseph Ratcliffe SkeltonIllustrator
- Joseph W. PapinIllustrator
- Josephine WallIllustrator
- Josh KirbyIllustrator
- Josh SmithIllustrator
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