Illustrated books – Bradley – Waddell Wong, Roberta. – Will H. Bradley: American Artist &% Craftsman. June 16 – July 31, 1972.

Describes 126 items of Will Bradley. – William Henry Bradley (July 10, 1868 – January 25, 1962) was an American Art Nouveau illustrator, artist and film director. Nicknamed the “Dean of American Designers” by The Saturday Evening Post, he was the highest-paid American artist of the early 20th century. Bradley was born July 10, 1868, in Boston, Massachusetts to Aaron Bradley and Sarah Rowland. At the age of 12 he obtained a job as an apprentice for a weekly newspaper. He moved back to Massachusetts and set up the Wayside Press, where he served as an illustrator, editor, typographer, designer, and press manager for a magazine he named Bradley, His Book. The periodical usually contained compilations of poetry, stories, and sketches, and his work received a warm reception. He had achieved financial success, but the stress of managing so many projects at once began to damage his health, and he collapsed at the age of 28. He recovered quickly, but he was forced to sell the Wayside Press. From 1895 to about 1900, Bradley produced some of the elaborate posters and full-page magazine advertisements commissioned by ink manufacturer Ault & Wiborg; his designs have been collected by noted institutions, including Library of Congress.- Bradley’s artistic style is considered a branch of Art Nouveau (where he was considered the foremost illustrator and poster designer of this movement) though it draws heavily from the aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts Movement and Japanese block printing. His work was often compared to that of his English contemporary, Aubrey Beardsley.