Luther Daniels Bradley (September 29, 1853 – January 9, 1917) was an American illustrator and
political cartoonist associated with the Chicago Daily News. Born in
New Haven, Connecticut, he graduated from
Yale University in 1875. After some years at his father's business, he traveled abroad, and spent over a decade in Melbourne, Australia, drawing for such publications as Melbourne Punch. He returned to Chicago in 1893, working for the Daily Journal and Inter Ocean, before joining the Daily News in 1899, where he spent the remainder of his life and career. He was known for strong anti-war sentiments, opposing U.S. involvement in World War I.[1][2][3][4]
Life
Bradley was born in
New Haven, Connecticut, to Francis and Sarah Beaman (Ruggles) Bradley. In 1857 the Bradley family moved to Chicago and later to nearby
Evanston, where Bradley attended public school. He attended
Northwestern University from 1870 to 1873 and
Yale College from 1873 to 1875, where he took part in
crew.[1] After graduation he worked at his father's Chicago real estate business, Baird & Bradley.[5] In 1882 he embarked upon a world trip, and after visiting London, arrived in
Melbourne, where he took an illustrating job with the satirical magazine Australian Tit-Bits; later incorporated into Melbourne Life with Bradley as editor and cartoonist. In 1888 he became chief cartoonist of the
Melbourne Punch after the retirement of artist
Tom Carrington, and was at the Punch until 1893, with notable coverage of the
Australian labor movement.[4] He popularized Carrington's "King Working Man" figure, a crowned giant representing organized labor.[6][7] His cartoons were generally accepted in London as fair presentations of Australian opinions.[8]
His father having fallen ill, Bradley returned to Chicago in 1893. He successively worked for the Chicago Daily Journal (1894) and Inter Ocean (1894–1898), and in 1899 published the children's books Our Indians and Wonderful Willie!. In 1899 he joined the Chicago Daily News, where he became art director. His cartoons often appeared on the front page.[9] It was during World War I that his work became most widely known.[8] He was known among cartoonists as the most prominent critic of American interventionism,[10] by 1916 being the only cartoonist of a major daily paper to oppose U.S. military involvement.[11] Cartoon historian
Richard Marschall notes Bradley was not the only antiwar cartoonist, but was "perhaps the most eloquent in illustrating his arguments."[9]
He married Agnes Floyd Smith in Evanston on October 31, 1901, and had four children: Francis, John Freeman, Sarah Elizabeth, and Margaret.[5] In religion he was
Episcopalian and in politics an
Independent Republican.[12] He died at his home in
Wilmette, Illinois, on January 9, 1917. Two days later, a tribute cartoon penned by
John T. McCutcheon appeared on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune.[13]Cartoons by Bradley, a collection of his work along with tributes from Daily News associates, was published in March 1917.[4] Three months after his death,
America entered World War I. In subsequent decades, Bradley's life and cartoons were discussed in numerous scholarly works.[14][15][11] In 1980, Richard Marschall wrote "[Bradley's] own cartoon messages deserve to be reintroduced to America."[9] A drawing of Bradley's adorned the cover of
Karen Russell's acclaimed 2011 novel Swamplandia!.[16]
"More!" (Punch, 1890): 'King Working Man', representing Australian labor unions, demands a worker's 'honest earnings'
Scene from Wonderful Willie! (1899)
"Design for a Union Station" (1907), depicting railroad tycoon
E. H. Harriman swallowing American railroads
"The Harvest Moon" (1914), depicting dead soldiers strewn across a barren landscape
"The Final Answer?" (January 4, 1917), Bradley's last cartoon, depicting War sharpening a sword labeled "renewed efforts" while stomping on a paper labeled "peace proposals"
^Borgens, Helen (1984). "Luther Daniels Bradley: Guide to the Great Somewhere-or-Other". In Darling, Harold; Neumeyer, Peter (eds.). Image and Maker: An Annual Dedicated to the Consideration of Book Illustration. La Jolla, California: Green Tiger Press. pp. 26–36.
ISBN0881380113.
^
abcMarschall, Richard (1980). "Bradley, Luther Daniels (1853–1917)". In
Horn, Maurice (ed.). The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons. New York: Chelsea House. p. 136.
ISBN0-87754-088-8.