She was born Mary Wilhelmina Hastings in 1882 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She graduated from Smith College in 1905 where she majored in English. After graduation she traveled to Egypt with a cousin and was inspired to write "The Palace of Darkened Windows" and "The Fortieth Door" detailing the life of the veiled and secluded women of Egypt. Both of these stories were later made into films, providing a further audience for Bradley’s writings. While doing research for her book The Favor of Kings in Oxford, she met her husband Herbert Bradley. Herbert Bradley was a lawyer, big game hunter, traveler and explorer who later helped found the Brookfield Zoo. They were married in 1910 and five years later they had a daughter, Alice.
