Newspaper Illustration
Dard Hunter began his work as an illustrator in 1901 as an employee at the Chillicothe News Advertiser, owned by his father, William Henry Hunter.
J. Pierpont Morgan
February 25, 1901
While his birth name was William Joseph Hunter, "Dard" became a family nickname at a young age. This piece is one of the earliest examples of his full signature referring to himself with that name.
Alton B. Parker
July 5, 1904
Democratic Presidential nominee in 1904. This stylized initial signature became iconic in Dard's graphic design work.
Illustration from Rip Van Winkle
1905
One of six chapter initials used in the Roycroft publication, Rip Van Winkle.
White Hyacinths
1907
This border was used for several publications, including a "Proclamation" by Abraham Lincoln for Centenary in 1909.
Book Plate Design
c. 1910
Hunter designed a series of book plates for various customers of the Roycroft.
The Complete Writings of Elbert Hubbard
1908
Chapter initials from Elbert Hubbard's The Complete Writings, showing Hunter's newly acquired Viennese style, prior to studying in Vienna.
Two Hundred Million
To celebrate the accomplishments of his work being reprinted more than two hundred million times, The Norfolk Studio in London published this brochure in 1911.
The Roycroft Years
Dard joined the Roycrofters in 1908 after initially being rejected on his application. He showed up to the artist colony ready to work and was hired on the spot.
During his time at Roycroft, Dard Hunter executed over 150 original graphic designs for books, catalogs, and other Roycroft publications. He is responsible for some of the most widely recognized designs of the American Arts & Crafts movement, including the ubiquitous square rose motif and his unique lettering style.
Vienna
Dard married Roycroft pianist Edith Cornell in 1908 and the pair traveled to Vienna for their honeymoon. At this time, Hunter was enamored with the work of Josef Hoffman and the Wiener Werkstatte ("Vienna Workshop"), a productive association co-founded by Hoffman. Following this first trip, Hunter incorporated elements of Viennese design, such as geometric patterns and highly stylized figures, into his work with the Roycrofters.
After leaving the Roycrofters, Hunter returned to Vienna in 1910 where he took courses in lithography, book decoration, and letter design at the K.K. Graphische Lehrund Versuchsanstalt (Royal-Imperial Graphic Teaching and Experimental Institute). These courses proved to be instrumental in Hunter's later work in the book arts.
London
After finishing his coursework in Vienna, the Hunters moved to London, where Dard found work with the Norfolk Studios designing books and advertising literature. Dard continued to expand his work after visiting the British museum and seeing a hand papermaking display, which set the course of the next fifty years of his life.