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Arthur Adair Brooke
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Born in Rome, the artist Arthur Adair Brooke had a long journey to Salmon Arm, British Columbia. At the age of two, the eldest child of Arthur Swindells and Amelia Adair Brooke had little memory of moving with his family to Switzerland. His father, A.S. Brooke, was a professional watercolour artist and supported the family by painting landscapes.When A.A. Brooke finished secondary school he was sent to England for a while before immigrating to Canada in 1890. The first stop was a farm at Barnsley, Manitoba where he learned about farming life under the tutelage of Joseph Merry at the Barnsley Farm Home. Four years later, Brooke began working his own farm.
Brooke married Annie Florence Ruth in 1898 in Manitoba and the couple had three sons, Harold, Ralph, and Ernest.
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Annie Florence Brooke (born Ruth)
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The family moved to Didsbury, Alberta, and Brooke worked a homestead, receiving his Western Land Grant in 1904. When the family moved to Salmon Arm in 1907, the Brookes purchased property in the Mt. Ida District of the Salmon Valley on what is now called Arnold Road. They set up residence and named their home Asterfield.5
Asterfield ResidenceBrooke residence "Asterfield", Mt. Ida District in the Salmon Valley, Salmon Arm, B.C.
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The next decade was uneventful. In 1921 life at Asterfield was unexpectedly interrupted with the birth of a fourth child, Ruth Adair. Brooke began painting again in earnest, chronicling his daughter's first decade.7
Little Girl's Farm LifeBrooke residence "Asterfield", Mt. Ida District in the Salmon Valley, Salmon Arm, B.C.
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Arthur Adair Brooke worked his acreage until 1944. He and Annie sold the farm and moved into Salmon Arm for a time. Finally retired, they moved again, this time south to another farming community, Cloverdale. Arthur Adair spent his remaining years painting.9
Arthur Adair Brooke painting in the garden, surrounded by flowers.
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Arthur Adair and Annie Florence Brooke
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Annie Florence passed away December 6th, 1957. After her death, Arthur ached with loneliness and moved to Lytton, BC to be with his son Harold. Arthur died thirteen months after Annie on January 13, 1959.Arthur Adair was a prolific artist and left a legacy of a significant body of work. The farmer/artist sketched images all his life, using his drawings as inspiration for later watercolours. Landscapes depict Switzerland, Ireland, Manitoba, Alberta, Alaska, and British Columbia. Numerous watercolours and sketches are held in private collections, at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, the Dufferin Historical Society Museum in Carman, Manitoba and the Salmon Arm Museum. His best work is said to be the babybooks that document his daughter's early life.
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The Story of Ruth: The Watercolour Journals of A.A. Brooke1921 to late 1936
Credits:Arthur Adair Brooke
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A.A. Brooke's Obituary posted in Salmon Arm Observer, January 22 195922 January 1959
Credits:Salmon Arm Observer
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Obituary in Salmon Arm Observer - Thursday, Jan. 22, 1959.A. A. Brooke
Pioneer Local Resident, Dies
Arthur A. Brooke, pioneer resident of Salmon Arm, died on January 13, in St. Bartholomew's hospital, Lytton, at the age of 84 years. Burial took place in Valley View cemetery, Cloverdale.
Of English parentage, Mr. Brooke was born in Rome in 1874 and was raised and educated in Switzerland and England. At the age of 16, he came to Canada and located at Carman, Man., where he started to farm in 1894. Later he moved to Didsbury, Alta., where he homesteaded.
In 1907, Mr. Brooke moved to Salmon Arm and acquired property in the valley on which he farmed until his retirement in 1944.
Always active in the development and activities of the community, Mr. Brooke was the leading figure in starting Salmon Arm Creamery and was president of the dairymen's co-operative organization for 12 years. He served as a member of the municipal council in the days of the ward system, and also took an active interest in church affairs.
An accomplished artist, Mr. Brooke did much work in water colors after his retirement and became well known for his paintings in Eastern Canada and the United States. His pictures were displayed in Toronto on several occasions.
For the past seven months, Mr. Brooke had been living with his son, Harold Arthur Brooke, at Siska Lodge, Lytton, where he gained additional fame as an artist. Mrs. Brooke pre-deceased her husband in December, 1957.
Besides his son at Siska Lodge, Lytton, Mr. Brooke is survived by two other sons, Ralph Edward, Ontario, Ore., and Ernest Cuthbert, Invermere; one daughter, Mrs. Ruth Adair, Oakland, Cal., 12 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren; five brothers, Charles Brooke, Chase, Hugh, Didsbury, Alta., Stephen, Winnipeg, and Robin and Percy, Vancouver, and one sister, in Seattle.
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