Harper’s Bazar. Easter A. D. 1896. 1896

Will Bradley designed this lithographic poster in 1896 in the United States to advertise Harper’s Bazar magazine. It is an example of the Art Nouveau movement that drew inspiration from both the fine and decorative arts. Bradley was inspired by the British Arts and Crafts movement and its emphasis on fine craftsmanship and medieval design. Here, we can see this in the poster's bold lines and stylized forms. It adopts motifs from fin-de-siècle Symbolism, such as the femme fatale and floral decoration, to reflect the cultural anxieties about gender, sexuality, and modernity in American society. Bradley also drew on Japanese woodblock prints that were circulating in the art world, appropriating their flat planes and stark contrasts. In order to gain a fuller understanding of the poster, we might consult periodicals from the time, biographies of the artist, and studies of the rise of consumer culture in the United States. Studying the institutional history of graphic design can lead to new insights into the poster’s complex web of social and historical meanings.