Henry Bradbury

Who was Henry Bradbury?

Henry Bradbury is best known for his book The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland with author Thomas Moore and editor John Lindley published in 1855 and using the new technique of nature printing invented by Alois Auer and Andreas Worring in 1852 and improved by Bradbury. The technique consisted of pressing a leafy specimen onto a thin, soft lead plate, leaving an intaglio impression with very fine detail. Bradbury had studied Auer's discovery in Vienna and had patented his own version in London, without acknowledging that the idea had originated with Auer. The resulting controversy drove Bradbury into despondency and he committed suicide by drinking acid.