painter, illustrator, cartoonist, commercial artist and advertising agent, was born in Adelaide: William Moore calls him the first black-and-white artist born in that colony. At the 1870 South Australian School of Art annual exhibition, prizes included 'Miscellaneous Drawings – £1.1s. ... Subject, in indian ink, pen and ink, or neutral tint, or any combination of them, by boys under 16 years of age … no.33, A. Broad.’

He began to contribute drawings to South Australian illustrated papers even earlier. He was with Adelaide Punch from 1868 then for the Portonian in 1871-79 where he was principal illustrator with J. Eden Saville , acc. Moore (ii, 121). He contributed cartoons to the Lantern (1874-90) and with Pyndar Willis was chief cartoonist on the Adelaide Figaro (originally Peepshow , later South Australian Figaro ) in 1877 when it was published by D. Kinner Brown of Pirie Street, Adelaide (acc. Moore: copies ML).

A.S. Broad later moved to Melbourne and drew for the Australasian Sketcher and Illustrated Australian News , according to Moore (p.123). He was evidently the 'A.B.’ on Melbourne Punch in the 1880s too. Back at Adelaide, he told William Moore (p.123):

... I met John J. Horrocks, editor and then proprietor of the Illustrated Sydney News , who besides other commissions engaged me to do the art and business side of the Adelaide Exhibition 1887. I was next asked to make a sketching trip to Kangaroo Island. Besides forwarding six illustrated articles, I had numerous commissions for small oils and watercolour views from the islanders. I was then sent to Broken Hill to do a bird’s-eye view of the town and make drawings of the mines. On my own initiative, I tackled the commercial part of the problem and netted about £500 for marginal advertisements on the view, thus saving the editor the expense of sending an agent, which he had proposed to do. I was subsequently invited to join the staff in Sydney. I made bird’s-eye views of Newcastle and also the Maitland district, and again secured the ads. I then sketched around Sydney, through the Blue Mountains, and the Lithgow district.

Broad and J.C. Gasking were the ISN 's staff artists in 1889, when the paper was taken over by the Town and Country Journal , which kept its chief artist, E.M. Grosse (Moore ii, 112). Broad returned to Adelaide and took up commercial art, indulging a lifetime love for landscape painting in his spare time. A 1906 cartoon on the Moroccan question signed 'A.S.B.’ (original SLNSW DG Pe 248) is presumably his.

Writers:

Kerr, Joan

Date written:

1996

Last updated:

2007