Willard Bonte (1873– ) was an American illustrator active in the field of book illustration in the early twentieth century. Public information about his life is limited: he is known to have been born in 1873, and a single work of his, Fun and Nonsense, is held in the collection. Judging from the title and character of this work, his illustrations tended toward light and humorous subjects, delighting in playfulness and absurdity and serving books meant for entertainment. The early twentieth century was a flourishing period for book illustration in Europe and America, when illustrators worked alongside authors to make images an integral part of the reading experience; Bonte worked within this setting. Owing to limited sources, his training, positions, and specific career cannot be traced, and present understanding of his style rests chiefly on the appearance of works such as Fun and Nonsense.
