Lot 117
Joseph Simpson (1879-1939)
Lot 117 Details
Joseph Simpson (1879-1939), British
ARTIST SEATED (SELF-PORTRAIT, SEATED HALF-LENGTH TO RIGHT, HOLDING PALETTE AND BRUSHES), 1925; BETTY, 1927
Two etchings; each signed and numbered 29/40 and 70/75 respectively in pencil to margins. Each in folded mats and unframed.
Plates 12 ins x 10 ins; 30.5 cms x 25.4 cms
Estimate $400-$600
Additional Images
Provenance:
Private Collection, Ontario
Note:
The British Museum has in their collection prints of each edition. Their print, “The Artist Seated, 1925,” is also signed and numbered in pencil, this being numbered 40/40, the last print of the edition, Museum no.1949,0411.689.
The British Museum’s “Betty” is an artist proof that is signed and numbered “A.” in pencil to the margin, Museum no.1928,0229.8, the date being recorded as 1927.
Born in Carlisle, Cumberland, Simpson established a career as an illustrator and caricaturist in Edinburgh after studying at the Glasgow School of Art. When he moved to London in 1905 he met Frank Brangwyn as his studio was next to his. He encouraged Brangwyn to take up printmaking and Simpson’s influence is evident. During WWI he was an official artist to the RAF.