Richard Brooke

Richard Norris Brooke (October 20, 1847 - April 25, 1920) was an American painter known especially for his genre scenes depicting African-American subjects. He has been described as "first among several artists who brought a national distinction to the Washington art community, and who were instrumental in making it more professional through the establishment of schools, clubs, and exhibitions."

Life and career

Born in Warrenton, Virginia, Brooke was the son of James Vass Brooke and Mary Norris Brooke; he lived in Warrenton through the American Civil War, during which it was controlled by the Union Army. He is believed to have received his earliest instruction in art from William D. Washington, although definitive proof has never been found. The elder Brooke had made arrangements for his son to travel to Rome to study art under William Randolph Barbee, but the outbreak of war prevented the trip from taking place. Instead in 1865 Richard matriculated at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, at which he studied under Edmund Bonsell and James Lambdin, and from which he graduated in 1871. While living in Philadelphia he taught at a number of schools, including the Mount Vernon Institute; the Broad Street Military Academy, and Villa Nova College. At the death of William D. Washington in 1871, Brooke was appointed the chair of the Department of Fine Arts at the Virginia Military Institute, but he left the position the following year. In 1873 he became United States Consul at La Rochelle, in which role he remained until 1877; during his time in France he studied with Léon Bonnat, and later he would work with Carolus-Duran and Benjamin Constant.