When thinking of painting, one automatically thinks of ready-mixed paint in cans. However, the advent of the paint can is a fairly recent phenomenon. For centuries and going back into antiquity, painters were “ingredient mixers”, as well as applicators. There was no such a thing as ready-mixed paints. Painters mixed their paints as they went along. Whoever knew the formulas had a high level of “job security” in those days!

First Spray Painting Machine in America, Chicago, Circa 1892

It was not until 1867 that the first US patent was issued for a read-mixed paint. The ingredients listed in the patent were as follows: oxide of zinc, acetate of lead, sulfate of zinc, silicate of soda diluted in water, lime water and linseed. This list of ingredients may help to explain why, for the better part of the following twenty years, ready-mixed paints had a serious image problem. They were considered to be inferior and undependable.

Then, what is it that caused the balance to tilt in favor of the ready-mixed paints? A few key factors contributed to that outcome. First, the American Industrial Revolution took root during the 1870’s and 1880’s. During that same period, there was also tremendous population growth, fueled by a considerable influx of immigrants. As an example, Chicago’s population grew from 298,000 in 1870 to 1.7 million in 1900. These two forces collided to create the perfect storm for something else to emerge as the painting industry’s driving force: the chemist and paint lab. As the industrial revolution progressed, the needs for painting surfaces became more and more complex and the demand for paints began to outstrip painter’s ability to mix the ingredients. The paint can was born to stay.

As a house painting contractor from the Chicago area, I have always been fascinated by paint memorabilia and the history of the painting industry. I not only have a considerable memorabilia collection, but I also give lectures to interior designers, architects and other interested groups on the History of Paint in America.

I recently came across an interesting piece of paint memorabilia, which sheds light on an important chapter in the development of the painting industry. Did you know that, up to the early 1920’s, cars were painted by hand? With all the coats needed and the long dry times, the painting process of an auto took 38 days. A giant bottleneck like this must really have upset Mr. Ford! Can you imagine the size of the paint shop? The advent of nitro cellulose lacquer and the concurrent development of sprayers changed all that, forever.

Painting of Cars Prior to Nitro Cellulose Lacquer

Following World War 1, there were great surpluses of nitro cellulose, which was no longer needed for the production of explosives. There were also large supplies of butyl alcohol. By the late 1910’s, laboratories, which had become a permanent feature of the painting industry, began to experiment with combining those two elements and one day, “presto”, there was lacquer! The quick dry time of lacquers, combined with the development of sprayers, reduced the painting time of a car from 38 days to 8 days and eventually to 8 hours. That made Mr. Ford, very happy!

The development of lacquer had a dramatic impact on the productivity of the automotive industry and the overall welfare of Americans. It took a few more years for the painting industry to develop brushing versions of lacquers, which could be used in the house-painting field.

In addition to preserving surfaces, Painting In Partnership, from the Chicago area, also looks to preserve and bring to life the history of the painting industry in the United States.

Seroco House Paint Catalog - Front Cover, circa 1916

In our role as “Custodian” of the painting industry’s past, Painting in Partnership from the Chicago area, has assembled a large collection of paint memorabilia, which we plan on displaying in a “virtual” paint museum in the not too distant future. I would like to tell you about our most recent paint memorabilia acquisition.

An antique book dealer contacted me recently. He had made a rare find: a 40-page, 1916 edition of a Seroco Paints catalog. It was the equivalent of a paint store in print, with a few hundred products, including color charts, tools, ladders and a broad array of paints, clear finishes and sundries.

How did the Seroco name came about? It was derived from combining the first two letters of the name of a famous retailer: Sears, Roebuck and Co. from Chicago. The company offered a complete line of paints from house paints, barn paints, buggy varnishes etc.

Why is it significant that Sears was involved in the paint business? Because of its vast distribution network

Seroco House Paint Catalog - Rear Cover, circa 1916

and its huge catalog business, Sears had considerable influence over the color choices of Americans for their homes, inside and out. Another part of the reason is that, from 1908 to 1940, Sears sold over 70,000 pre-fabricated, ready-to-assemble homes. During the Great Depression, because the company was also involved in mortgaging those houses, Sears found itself with a mountain of defaults. In a landmark decision, Sears decided to write off $11 million of those loans, thereby creating immense goodwill among the American public.

For those reasons, Seroco Paints hold a special place in the history of colors used on American homes in the first half of the twentieth century, which are now referred to as “”period” houses in many cases.

Elliott Paint & Varnish Co. Circa 1930 (1)

Elliott Paint & Varnish Co. Circa 1930 (2)

Painting in Partnership’s reputation as a “custodian” of the painting industry’s past goes far and wide. A few weeks ago, we were contacted by a gentleman in Texas who had a collection of sixty three vintage photographs from an old-time Chicago paint company: Elliott Paint and Varnish Co., which was merged out of existence in the 1970s.

Lou Gehrig, 1930 Vintage

Upon agreeing on a price, Painting in Partnership became the owner of the photos and the collection came back to Chicago, its rightful place. Most of the photographs were taken by a famous Chicago studio called Apex Photographs Co. For instance, Apex took this photo from Lou Gehrig in the late 1920s.

Their work for Elliott Paint took place during the 1920-30s. They took shots of the exterior of the manufacturing facilities, loading docks, labs, offices, manufacturing process and warehousing. The collection gives a unique perspective on the different aspects of the paint manufacturing process during that time period. Three photos from the collection are attached for your viewing pleasure.

Elliott Paint and Varnish Co. was founded in 1897. It rapidly blossomed into a full line paint manufacturer. During the 1970s, it was acquired by Valspar, which had just moved

Elliott Paint & Varnish Co. Circa 1930 (3)

At Painting in Partnership, house painting contractors from the Chicago area, we believe that understanding our past as an industry is essential to empower our future. This is what moves us to collect and preserve painting memorabilia.

Collecting Chicago paint memorabilia has been a passion of mine for a long time. Being “custodians of the past” for the house painting industry is a direct extension of the work we do in the historical paint restoration and historical preservation areas. Over the years, we have assembled a collection of many hundreds of pieces, from signs, tools, equipment, cans, supplier catalogs and paint dealer catalogs.

Because of Painting in Partnership’s national reputation as a custodian of the painting industry’ past, we were recently contacted by a Valspar employee in Minneapolis to see if we had an interest in obtaining a collection of paint color cards from bygone Chicago paint companies. How did this Chicago memorabilia end up in Minneapolis?

Over the years, Rockcote Paint of Rockford, Illinois, acquired many old-time Chicago paint companies and, in the process, inherited their paint memorabilia. In 1970, Rockcote merged with Minnesota Linseed Oil Paint Co. and changed its name to Valspar. Following the merger, that Chicago paint memorabilia was shipped to Minnesota for safekeeping. In the recent past, Valspar made the decision to find other suitable custodians for their collection.

Sampling of Chicago Paint Works Memorabilia

Valspar contacted the Chicago History Museum and the Minnesota History Museum. Fortunately for us, theses museums were only interested in some items and had no interest in anything that had a paint sample in it. Consequently, Painting in Partnership became the recipient of choice for an amazing collection of original color cards from the 1920’s through the 1960’s, thereby providing us with an invaluable source of “Period Colors”.

Paint memorabilia and color cards from seven paint companies were sent to us: Armstrong Paint & Varnish Works, Enterprise Paint Manufacturing Co., Chicago Paint Works, Republic Paint and Varnish Works, Stetson Paint Works, Continental Works, Co. and The Elliott Paint and Varnish Company. Some of these items included paint dealer books with the entire offering of paints from those manufacturers, along with their accompanying color cards, preserved in mint condition. Above is a sampling of the items from Chicago Paint Works.

Thanks Valspar for entrusting Painting in Partnership with the safekeeping of this unique slice of the history of the house painting industry in Chicago.

For more interesting Paint Memorabilia trivia, please visit our Paint Memorabilia Corner.