WILL H. BRADLEY His BIOGRAPHY
Bradley executed a number of designs to promote The Chap-Book, a short-lived but important publication based in Chicago. His 1894 design for
Chap-Book, titled The Twins, has been called the first American Art Nouveau poster; this and other posters for the magazine brought
him widespread recognition and popularity. In 1895 Bradley founded the Wayside Press in Springfield, Massachusetts, and published a monthly arts
periodical, Bradley: His Book. He remained an active and important member of the graphic arts world for the rest of his long life.
Bradley was well acquainted with the stylistic innovations of his European counterparts. Like many French artists, he borrowed stylistic elements from Japanese prints, working in flat, broad color planes and cropped forms. He appropriated the whiplash curves of the Art Nouveau movement so dominant in Europe at the turn of the century and was influenced by the work of the English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley.
Copyright © 1999-2010 by Martin S. Lindsay. All rights reserved. Submissions and corrections are welcome. Citation:
Lindsay, Martin S. "The poster craze." Will H. Bradley: his biography, WillBradley.com, 2010. Accessed 08 Sep 2010, <http://willbradley.com/bio/bio2.thm>.