Description
This stunning 1899 William Bradley lithograph poster for Ault & Wiborg represents a pivotal moment in American ink innovation—when a legendary designer elevated industrial chemistry into decorative art. Bradley’s signature dual ornamental urns, featuring flowing floral arrangements in warm browns and oranges, embodied the company’s revolutionary shift from simple black ink to vibrant, scientifically formulated color pigments.
Ault & Wiborg, founded in Cincinnati in 1878, transformed the printing industry through bold innovation. By the 1890s, the company had pioneered coal-tar dyes that produced fast, bright, non-bleeding inks far superior to anything previously available. Under the motto “Hic et Ubique” (Here and Everywhere), they established themselves as America’s premier ink manufacturer with sales offices spanning Toronto, London, Shanghai, and Manila. Bradley’s poster visually communicates this revolution—the elegant flower pots symbolizing both the refined aesthetics of the Art Nouveau movement and the precision chemistry behind modern printing.
This lithograph letterpress original measures 11″ x 14″ and remains in very good condition. The design captures Bradley’s genius for merging commercial purpose with fine art, a skill that earned him the nickname “The American Aubrey Beardsley.” Unlike mass-produced reproductions, this vintage original carries the weight of 125 years of printing history, making it essential for collectors of turn-of-century design innovation, vintage printing ephemera, and American industrial art.
Bradley’s work for Ault & Wiborg stands as proof that even industrial catalogs could become masterpieces—when the right artist meets the right moment in design history.
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