Finding aid to the Allan C. Brooks papers
MVZA.MSS.0304
Finding aid prepared by Joi K Misenti
The processing of this collection was made possible through funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through
the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
3101 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California
Berkeley
mvzarchives@berkeley.edu
01 May 2014
Descriptive Summary
Title: Allan C. Brooks papers
Identifier/Call Number: MVZA.MSS.0304
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5.0 Cubic feet
Date (inclusive): 1867-1946
Abstract: The Allan C. Brooks papers contain paintings, field notes, artwork, correspondence, personalia, and publications spanning
1867 to 1946. The artwork and paintings include originals commissioned for publication in Grinnell’s Wildlife of the Yosemite
released in 1924 and Fur-bearing Mammals of California published in 1937. Correspondence provides details of commissions,
arrangements, specimen collection and transfer, as well as personal exchange. These materials offer insight into the logistics
of wildlife illustration and naturalist livelihood in the early 20th century.
Creator:
Brooks, Allan, 1869-1946
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Allan C. Brooks papers, MVZA.MSS.0304, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives, University of California,
Berkeley.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted to the Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology Archives in writing for approval. Please contact the Museum Archivist for further information.
Biographical note
Allan Brooks was born in northern India at Etawah as the son of an Englishman on February 16, 1869. Though Brooks’ father
was a civil engineer, he was also an ardent avian aficionado and inculcated this love of ornithology in his son. Under his
father’s tutelage, Allan partook in natural history endeavors and wildlife pastimes early on from childhood through adolescence.
At the age of four, Allan Brooks was sent to England for schooling, where he resided for eight years before the family uprooted
in 1881 to Canada. There, the Brooks family participated in a pastoral lifestyle on their farm and both father and son continued
their ornithological recreation, whereupon Allan Brooks sketched, prepared bird skins, and ventured into the nearby regions.
Brooks began to seriously invest in his passion in 1894, harvesting local specimens to send to experts and museum collections
in the United States and Canada.
Constantly busied and engrossed in his work, Brooks’ career emerged on a more renowned scale with wildlife illustrations in
“The Birds of Washington,” published in 1909. This led to further work in a massive undertaking in late 1910 to illustrate
for “The Birds of California,” whose work was temporarily suspended with the advent of the First World War. From hunting and
collecting specimens, Brooks was already adept with a firearm as a competitive rifle shooter before he enlisted for the war
in 1914. He quickly ascended in the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel and distinguished himself as an exemplary sniper. Upon his
return five years later, unharmed and in good health, Brooks found himself disenchanted with shooting for sport and immediately
resumed his life’s work, committing himself wholly to his natural historical and zoological efforts. Projects flooded in with
Phillips’ book “A Natural History of Ducks,” submissions for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology in Berkeley, pictures for Percy
Taverner’s “Birds of Western Canada,” and requests from a plethora of other sponsors. “The Birds of California” also completed
following the war and became published in 1923 bound in four volumes. Moreover, Brooks was a close compatriot of Louis Agassiz
Fuertes (1874-1927), who is widely regarded even today as one of the most premier wildlife artists of that time. When Fuertes’s
death in 1927 prevented completion of the third volume of “Birds of Massachusetts and other New England States,” Brooks was
commissioned for the remaining drawings, and the book was published in 1929. Periodically, Brooks provided articles in editions
of the Condor, a Cooper Ornithological Club publication, where he was widely commemorated and celebrated. Later on, Brooks
was even commissioned beginning in 1931 to illustrate for National Geographic Magazine, to which he would submit a series
of illustrations for 20 following issues.
Throughout his life, Allan Brooks demonstrated an indomitable spirit and enthusiasm for his work. He possessed a strong desire
to contribute, educate, and spread knowledge. Truly dedicated to the integrity of his craft, he came into the association
and respect of many highly regarded naturalists of the time. Throughout the 1920’s, with Brooks’ consistently immaculate additions
to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, he found friendship and longtime correspondence in the museum’s first director, Joseph
Grinnell. Notably, though Grinnell tried, Brooks, demure by nature, turned down a proposition by Grinnell to pursue an autobiography.
Brooks also corresponded with the museum’s curator of birds, Harry Swarth. Brooks and Swarth are prominently remembered for
an expedition that became instrumental in its breadth and findings. In 1924, they embarked on a trip of several months to
Atlin and travelled together by boat along the British Columbia coastline up to Alaska, making stops to collect specimens
and record observations, until Skagway. With a railway detour from Skagway to Carcross, the pair resumed seafaring to their
ultimate destination of Atlin.
Amongst extensive travels, Brooks sustained detailed observations and notes of species in North America abroad, even during
wartime (as evidenced by sketches drawn while immersed in the trenches). Brooks continuously identified species and reported
his observations, even in casual correspondence, simply due to an ever-present awe-inspired fascination. He met with experts
and contemporaries in the field exhaustively, presumably sharing methods, research, and observations. Meticulous and punctilious
for detail, with a penchant for creative liberties where appropriate, particularly evident in his artwork, Brooks devoted
himself to accurate depictions and representation. Accordingly, he was often called upon to peer-review articles and academic
work. In contrast to other contributors from the field of his time such as Fuertes, who focused on the primary subject of
the painting, Brooks was lauded for the specific attention he paid to the background milieu and environment in addition to
the foreground specimens. True to form, Brooks turned down numerous job offers throughout his life in favor of a more freeform
lifestyle, which he found more gratifying than a rigid occupation. Evidently, Allan Brooks is set apart from the many naturalists
of his time as a staunch advocate for precision in two arenas that significantly interconnected--one that upholds artistic
integrity as epitomized in his paintings and the other that represents a well-founded reverence for scientific discipline.
References: Brooks, Allan, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology historical correspondence, MVZA.MSS.0117, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
Brooks, Marjorie. “Allan Brooks—A Biography.” The Condor. Vol. XL, Jan.-Feb. 1938: 12-17. 5 Mar. 2014. http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v040n01/p0012-p0017.pdf.
Candy, Ron. “Allan Brooks: Naturalist & Wildlife Illustrator.” The Greater Vernon Museum & Archives. 25 Feb. 2014. http://www.vernonmuseum.ca/cr_allan_brooks.html.
Harris, Harry. “An Appreciation of Allan Brooks, Zoological Artist: 1869-1946.” The Condor. Vol. 48, Jul.-Aug. 1946: 145-153.
5 Mar. 2014. http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v048n04/p0145-p0153.pdf.
Dawson, William Leon. “Allan Brooks-An Appreciation.” The Condor. Vol. 15, Mar.-Apr. 1913: 69-76. 19 Mar. 2014. http://sora.unm.edu/node/95452.
“Major Allan Brooks (1869-1946).” Allan Brooks Nature Centre. 25 Feb. 2014. http://www.abnc.ca/index.php/about/major-allan-brooks/.
Webber, Jean. “Major Allan Brooks of Okanagan Landing.” Royal BC Museum. 5 Mar. 2014. http://142.36.5.21/thomp-ok/allan_books/major-allan.html.
Scope and Contents
The Allan C. Brooks papers include one bound volume of field notes and two bound volumes of bird catalogues that list the
specimens collected over the course of Brooks’ career. Furthermore, the collection houses 42 original paintings, 38 of which
are definitively attributed to Brooks and 4 that are possibly his work. The majority of the paintings are commissions requested
by Grinnell for his publications: 17 paintings for plates in Wildlife of the Yosemite published in 1924 and 16 paintings for
the two volumes of Grinnell’s 1937 work Fur-bearing Mammals of California. The remaining artwork was involved in various other
publications by Grinnell and his colleagues. In addition to field notes and artwork, there is a series of correspondence between
Brooks and colleagues of the MVZ. Correspondence generally describes transactional logistics, such as commissions and transfer
of specimens. Topics discussed also detail specimen observation, collection, scientific taxonomy, and article consultation.
Personal anecdotes, biographical descriptions, and travel experiences are also transcribed. The bulk of correspondence involves
Brooks exchanging with Grinnell, Swarth, or Dixon. Some correspondence is also exchanged between other members of the Brooks
family and the MVZ.
Related Archival Materials
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Biological specimens--Identification
Birds--California--Identification
Birds--Canada, Western--Identification
Correspondence
Field notes
Scientific illustrations (images)
University of California (1868-1952). Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Box 2, Folder 5
Allan C. Brooks and Allan C. Brooks Jr. Correspondence
1939-1946
Box 2, Folder 6
Allan C. Brooks Jr. Correspondence
1955-1966
Box 2, Folder 7
Marjorie Brooks (Mrs. Allan Brooks) Correspondence
1946-1955
Box 1, Folder 1
Allan Brooks field notes
1867-1944
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.0 Folder
Oversize 1, Folder 1
Allan Brooks bird catalogue
1877-1945
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.0 Folder
Oversize 1, Folder 2
Allan Brooks bird catalogue 2
1873-1945
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.0 Folder
Oversize 5
Quail Hybrids 3
1911
Dimensions note:
8" x 11 15/16" (HxW)
Oversize 2
Young Bohemian Waxwings 5
1922
Dimensions note:
12 1/2" x 8 1/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Swarth, Harry S., "Birds and Mammals of the Stikine River Region of Northern British Columbiaand Southeastern Alaska."
UC Publications in Zoology. Vol. 24, No. 2 (July 1926): 125-314. Plate 8.
Frame 1
8 Pocket Gophers 6
1926
Dimensions note:
14 1/2" x 10 1/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, Joseph, "Geography and Evolution in the Pocket Gopher."
University of California Chronicle July (1926): 247-262. 252: 1 plate.
Oversize 5
Foot of Trumpeter Swan 11
undated
Dimensions note:
7 1/16" x 10 1/8" (HxW)
Oversize 5
California Quail, Male and Female 12
undated
Dimensions note:
7 1/16" x 10 3/16" (HxW)
Oversize 5
Short-eared Owl 13
undated
Dimensions note:
7 1/16" x 10 3/16" (HxW)
Oversize 5
Young Gray Plover 14
1931
Dimensions note:
7 1/16" x 10 1/16" (HxW)
Frame 2
Song Sparrows of California 15
1923
Dimensions note:
14 3/8" x 10 1/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Alden Miller.
The Distribution of the Birds of California. University of California, Berkeley: Cooper Ornithological Club, 1944. Frontispiece.
Oversize 2
Golden-crowned Sparrows 17
1926
Dimensions note:
14 9/10" x 9 15/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Swarth, Harry S. "Report on a Collection of Birds and Mammals from the Atlin Region, Northern British Columbia."
UC Publications in Zoology Vol. 30, No. 4 (1926): 51-162. Plate 4.
Oversize 4
California Spotted Skunk and San Diego Spotted Skunk 18
1937
Dimensions note:
15" x 11" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 293: fig 110.
Oversize 2
Water Ouzel 19
1924
Dimensions note:
7 3/8" x 11 1/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 729: pl 52.
Oversize 2
Band-tailed Pigeon 20
1924
Dimensions note:
14 1/4" x 9 7/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 278: pl 4.
Frame 3
Sierra Nevada Rosy Finch 21
1920
Dimensions note:
11 5/16" x 9" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. ii: pl 1.
Frame 4
Townsend Solitaire, Russet-backed Thrush, and Sierra Hermit Thrush 22
1920
Dimensions note:
13 13/16" x 9 1/4" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 598: pl 11.
Frame 5
Warblers of the Yosemite Section 23
1920
Dimensions note:
11 5/8" x 8 13/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 518: pl 9.
Frame 6
Some Small Birds of the Yosemite Forests 24
1920
Dimensions note:
13 7/8" x 9 3/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 566: pl 10.
Frame 7
Family Group of Williamson Sapsuckers 25
1920
Dimensions note:
14 3/16" x 9 15/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 334: pl 6.
Oversize 3
Sierra Golden-mantled and Belding Ground Squirrels 26
1924
Dimensions note:
6 1/2" x 8 5/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 158: pl 2.
Oversize 3
Southern Sierra Marmot 27
1924
Dimensions note:
6 1/4" x 9 1/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 158: pl 2.
Frame 8
Chipmunks of the Yosemite Section 28
1924
Dimensions note:
15" x 11" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 182: pl 3.
Frame 9
Woodpeckers of the Yosemite Section 29
1920
Dimensions note:
14 1/8" x 9" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 326: pl 5.
Frame 10
Coral King Snake 30
1924
Dimensions note:
9 1/8" x 13 1/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 630: pl 12.
Frame 19
Some Sparrows of the Yosemite Region 31
1924
Dimensions note:
11 3/8" x 9" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 454: pl 8.
Frame 11
Adult and Young Western Skink 32
1924
Dimensions note:
8 3/16" x 9" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 630: pl 12.
Frame 12
Cassin and California Purple Finches and California Linnet 33
1919
Dimensions note:
12 1/4" x 9 3/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 422: pl 7.
Oversize 5
The Principal Diurnal Birds of Prey of the Yosemite Region, as seen overhead in flight 34
1924
Dimensions note:
12 1/16" x 8 7/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 720: pl 44.
Oversize 5
The Principal Diurnal Birds of Prey of the Yosemite Region, as seen overhead in flight 35
1924
Dimensions note:
12 1/8" x 9 5/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J. and Tracy I. Storer:
Animal Life in in the Yosemite. U.C. Press, Berkeley. 1924. 720: pl 44.
Frame 13
California River Otter and California Mink 37
1937
Dimensions note:
14 1/2" x 10 7/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. iv: pl 1.
Frame 14
3 Skunks: Arizona striped skunk, Great Basin striped skunk, Northern California striped skunk 38
1937
Dimensions note:
14" x 11 1/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 312: fig 115.
Frame 15
Badger 39
1937
Dimensions note:
9 7/8" x 12 3/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 358: fig 127.
Oversize 3
Sierra Nevada Black Bear 40
1937
Dimensions note:
15 3/4" x 11 5/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 100: pl 2.
Oversize 3
California Ring-tailed Cat and California Raccoon 41
1937
Dimensions note:
14 1/8" x 9 11/16" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 148: pl 3.
Frame 16
Sierra Nevada Pine Marten, Mountain Weasel in Winter, Moutain Weasel in Summer 42
1937
Dimensions note:
15" x 11 3/4" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 196: pl 4.
Oversize 3
Fisher 43
1937
Dimensions note:
14 1/4" x 10 1/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 228: pl 5.
Oversize 3
Southern Wolverine 44
1937
Dimensions note:
14 1/2" x 10 5/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 260: pl 6.
Oversize 4
Southern Sea Otter 45
1937
Dimensions note:
10 5/8" x 14 1/2" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 1. 292: pl 7.
Frame 17
Golden Beaver 46
1937
Dimensions note:
15 7/8" x 12" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 2. iv: pl 8.
Frame 20
California Grey Fox, Sierra Nevada Red Fox, Desert Kit Fox 47
1937
Dimensions note:
14 1/16" x 10 1/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 2. 440: pl 9.
Oversize 4
California Valley Coyote, Mountain Coyote 48
1937
Dimensions note:
16" x 11 1/2" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 2. 488: pl 10.
Oversize 3
California Mountain Lion 49
1937
Dimensions note:
15 1/4" x 12" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 2. 536: pl 11.
Oversize 3
California Wildcat (Bobcat) 50
1937
Dimensions note:
14 7/8" x 11" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 2. 616: pl 12.
Frame 18
Colorado River Muskrat 51
1937
Dimensions note:
15" x 10 7/8" (HxW)
Publications note
Grinnell, J., Joseph Dixon, Jean M. Linsdale. Fur-bearing Mammals of California. University of California, Berkeley: U.C.
Press, 1937. Vol 2. 728: pl 13.