?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 8,000 - $ 12,000
WILLIAM H. BRADLEY (1868-1962)
VICTOR BICYCLES. 1895.
26x38 3/4 inches, 66x98 1/2 cm. Forbes Co., Boston. Condition B: repaired tear at right edge, into central image; small replaced loss in central left image; repaired tears, small replaced losses, creases and restoration at edges and in image; repaired pin holes in corners. Matted and framed.
Bradley's style is sometimes referred to as American Art Nouveau, a combination of Aubrey Beardsley and the work of the Arts and Crafts movement; Bradley "transformed their styles into exceptionally bold and successful designs" (Word and Image p. 20). "Because of his early training as a printer, Bradley's posters are distinguished by their good taste in typography which is an integral part of the design" (Margolin p. 27). As with so many posters in America at the height of the poster craze in the mid 1890s, this one was given an affectionate name: In Purple and White. Larger than most of Bradley's other posters, it is "his simplest, boldest, and therefore most modern creation" (Koch p. 99). And yet, despite the absence of the intricate detail that defined so much of Bradley's work, his style still carefully reflects the product advertised. "Here, spokes might have marred the composition of the poster and their absence gives a feeling of lightness and airiness to the bicycle and the entire design" (Bicycle p. 9). Kiehl Cover & 27, DFP-I 165, Richmond 30, Reims 1148, Maitres pl. 152, Weill 120, Koch p. 55-56, Bicycle Posters 51, American Style 41.
