Melita Aitken

Melita Aitken, born on March thirty-first, eighteen sixty-six, in Drumbo, Ontario, was a talented Canadian artist and writer. She honed her artistic skills under the guidance of Mary Dignam in Toronto and John Vanderpoel at the Art Institute of Chicago. Initially, Aitken focused on oil portraits, but due to health concerns related to lead in the paints, she transitioned to painting delicate flowers in watercolour.

In her personal life, Aitken married Captain Robert James Aitken, with whom she had three children. Tragically, her husband was killed in action during World War I. Following this loss, she spent some time overseas before returning to Canada, where she lived in Sault Ste. Marie, Victoria, and eventually Vancouver.

Aitken's artistic contributions were recognized through exhibitions at prestigious venues, including the Royal Academy in London, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the Salon des artistes français in Paris. Her work was also featured in spring shows of the Art Association of Montreal, as well as at the Victoria Art Gallery and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

In addition to her visual art, around nineteen twenty, Aitken published a collection of poems titled Maple Grove, and Other Poems. She passed away in Vancouver at the age of seventy-nine, leaving behind a legacy of creativity and resilience.