Vtg Stencils Bradley 075

The Bradley stencil machine and the Bradley Stencil Machine Company are named after their inventor – Andrew Jackson Bradley.

The world’s first stencil machine, patented in 1893, was the Bradley horizontal model, also called the “Long Bradley”. It punched a typeface in ½ or in ¾ inch size. The typeface has a Roman design, but it is very different compared to the common US Roman stencil type, which is based on a bold Clarendon typeface. The “Bradley” Roman is more like a typewriter face.

The Bradley Roman already had many of the simplifications and design tricks that would be incorporated into the later stencil machine typefaces. In a ways, it is a transitional typeface between the US Roman design of the first US stencil tools and the modern Gothic designs of later stencil machines.

In 1898 the circular stencil cutting machines were invented. Bradley company used the same (Bradley) Roman typeface for these machines for a long time.

One of those early circular Bradley stencil cutters, with a ¾ inch typeface, was used to draw the Vtg Stencil Bradley 075 fonts. However, many aspects of the original typeface, such as the uneven stem widths, have been fixed to create a pleasing font for modern use. Therefore, the Vtg Stencil Bradley 075 is an approximation of the original typeface, albeit a best possible one.

The original ¾inch Bradley Roman features an unusual letter W. We used the more common design of the later developed Bradley Gigant machine with 1 ¼ inch type for the Regular font style. But you will find the original W as alternate letter in the font.

Until about 1936, the Bradley Stencil machines were manufactured. They were then acquired by competitor Diagraph Stencil Machine Corporation. So working Bradley machines are really rare these days.

The font is particularly suitable for all historical marking tasks, especially around 1900 and the First World War.

Please visit the Bradley Stencil memorial website for in deep information on the Bradley Stencil Machine Company.

Enjoy the vintage!



Attention: If you have access to the other Bradley stencil machines and can scan a type specimen or send me stencils, I will pay you for your efforts. I'm looking for samples of ½, 1¼" and 1½" Bradley stencils.