New Acquisition – Collection of A.F. Brooks art
One of Alden’s many landscape portraits, signed “AF Brooks”
At the start of this year we acquired a collection of over 100 original oil paintings and watercolors by artist Alden Finney Brooks. The collection was purchased from Allen Bryant thanks to a generous donation by Margaret Caswell.
AF Brooks was born April 3rd, 1840 in West Williamsfield, Ohio. His father, Charles Brooks, served in the War of 1812 and both of AF Brooks’ grandfathers served in the American Revolutionary War. One of eight children, Alden was orphaned by the time he was fourteen years old. Later Alden went on to marry Ellen T. Woodworth, who he would have four children with. One of his children was Bessie, or Elizabeth Brooks, the eventual wife of renowned architect, George W. Maher.
During his youth, Alden joined a wagon train going to California and learned how to do surveying from a group of students from the University of Wisconsin. “Alden… could determine approximate distances by foot and on horseback.” Alden, already having an aptitude for art, did numerous sketches of the landscape, horses, and Native Americans during the trip. Eventually Alden’s skills as a surveyor led him to become a cartographer in the Army and would end up sketching the generals he came in contact with during his service.
This sketch of General George H. Thomas is part of a larger series of sketches Alden did of Union officials such as General Ulysses Grant, General John Rawlins, and Major General John M. Palmer (who went on to become the 15th governor of Illinois). Alden officially started his “career” as an artist, studying under Edwin White in New York City before moving to Chicago in the 1870s. In 1881, he studied in Paris under Carolus-Duran. Some of his works can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chicago Public Library, and now Kenilworth Historical Society. Alden died in Kenilworth, IL on June 13, 1932 at the age of 92.
To learn more, keep an eye out for our future exhibit featuring the highlights of Alden Finney Brooks and his daughter’s breathtaking art.
