Portrait of Frank Brangwyn

Known primarily as a caricaturist, Joseph Simpson worked as a painter, illustrator, and etcher. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and was stationed in France during World War I as the official war artist for the Royal Air Force. In London his studio neighbored that of fellow etcher Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956), whose portrait is considered Simpson’s masterpiece. Simpson’s relatively small etched output amounted to only fifty original designs, but his bold and vigorous style earned him comparisons to the celebrated printmaker Anders Zorn.