William H. Bradley

Posted by Fabio 18 November 2009

William H. Bradley was an American type designer, typographer, publisher and graphic designer. Born in 1868 in Massachusetts, at the age of twelve in Ishpeming, Michigan he began working in a printer’s shop introducing Bradley to the many issues of typesetting, layout and advertisements. This experience would become important and inspirational for Bradley’s later career.

The Art Nouveau starts in the USA with Bradley’s theatre posters and his book jackets for “The Inland Printer” and “The Chap Book”. A “Chap Book” was formalized by bibliophiles of the 19th century, as a variety of ephemera (disposable printed material), popular or folk literature. It includes many kinds of printed material, such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes, poetry, folk tales, children’s literature and almanacs.

Bradley published his “Chap Books” in Chicago via his own company the Wayside Press from around 1894 as well as a periodical named Bradley: His Book. The periodical usually contained compilations of poetry, stories, and sketches, and his work received a warm reception. He was a prolific and hard working artist and designer up to his death at age 94 in 1962.