Mary Bradley

Mary Bradley sketched the world around her while other women of 1809 were expected to stitch samplers. She kept tiny albums of flowers and birds in soft washes of color, then tucked them into her pockets like a spy carrying secrets. One winter morning she pressed a single sheet of paper to capture the unexpected snow on the holly leaves outside her window—simple, precise, and still alive 215 years later. To see that delicate touch, look up “Untitled (6 January 1809)” and zoom in on the berries’ sheen; the frost is still there.