Will Bradley: His Graphic Art: a Collection of His Posters, Illustrations, Typographic Designs & Decorations. Dover Publications, 1974. p.17.

 

William H. Bradley was one of the first American designers to employ the principles and style of Art Nouveau in his work (Flinchum). Though many of his earliest works included poster and magazine cover design, Bradley’s interests led him to udertake book cover designs and illustrations. One of his commissioned book cover works includes the Fringilla, a compilation of poems by Richard Blackmore (Frohlich). Bradley was responsible for all parts of the book design, including cover design, illustrations, choice of typeface, page layout and ornamentations (Will H. Bradley).

Bradley was influenced by various designers and styles during the creation of the Fringilla. The influence of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement can be seen in Bradley’s ornamental page decorations and “foliated borders” (Flinchum) (Will H. Bradley). Bradley was also heavily influenced by Aubrey Beardsley’s works, particularly Le Mort d’ Arthur and Salome (Bradley). This can be seen in the connection of the lines which help to create unity within the artwork, as well as the use of bold and asymmetrical patterns and shapes (Bradley) (Flinchum). The one subtle difference is that Bradley’s work was much flatter and simpler than Beardsley’s (Flinchum). This introduction of Art Nouveau to America won Bradley many praises, and prompted one critic to state that William Bradley is “the pioneer… the head of an American movement, similar to that which is taking place in England, France, and Germany, toward beautiful, artistic books.” (Bradley).

Bradley’s work on the Fringilla earned him mixed reviews. Many viewed his work as a masterpiece, leading one reviewer to state that it was Bradley’s “most complete and perfect production” (Frohlich). The biggest critic of the work turned out to be the author of the Fringilla, Richard Blackmore. He stated that the pages contained too much ornamentation (Will H. Bradley), and the page layout chosen by Bradley destroyed the rhythm of the carefully arranged stanzas of Blackmore’s verse (Frohlich). Despite this, the Fringilla is still regarded as one of Bradley’s most iconic work.

Will Bradley: His Graphic Art: a Collection of His Posters, Illustrations, Typographic Designs & Decorations. Dover Publications, 1974. p.18.

Bibliography:

Bradley, Will H., Hornung, Clarence P.. Will Bradley: His Graphic Art: a Collection of His Posters, Illustrations, Typographic Designs & Decorations. Dover Publications, 1974.

Flinchum, Russell A. “Book Design, Aubrey Beardsley& Art Nouveau.” Graphic Design History Lecture. NC State University, Raleigh. 21 August 2014. Lecture.

Frohlich, Dustin. “Will H. Bradley, An American Artist: Selections from the Gordon A. Pfeiffer Collection.” Omeka RSS, Gordon A. Pfeiffer Collection. exhibits.lib.udel.edu/exhibits/show/bradley_will/part_one/blackmore.

“Will H. Bradley.” Delaware Art Museum, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives Digital Exhibitions, Deleware Art Museum, delartlibrary.omeka.net/exhibits/show/-the-cover-sells-the-book—tr/will-h–bradley.