Paint-by-numbers movement
The Paint-by-numbers movement emerged in the early 1950s as a popular artistic activity designed for people of all ages. Developed by Dan Robbins for the Palmer Paint Company, the concept drew inspiration from the teaching methods of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, who used a similar technique to guide students in their work. The first major release of these kits occurred at Macy's in New York City in November 1950, leading to remarkable success with over fifteen million kits sold within a year and attracting numerous competitors to the market. The kits typically featured a variety of themes, including animals, landscapes, and religious imagery, with the most notable being a depiction of the Last Supper.
While many in the art community criticized these creations as lacking authenticity, they resonated with consumers as an enjoyable hobby that allowed individuals to explore their creativity during leisure time. The peak of the movement lasted until 1959, although paint-by-number kits continued to be a popular pastime into the early 2000s. In the 1990s, a resurgence in interest led collectors to seek out vintage canvases from the original era, highlighting the lasting impact of this unique artistic expression.
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Paint-by-numbers movement
Identification Production of oil paintings using kits that included numbered diagrams stamped on canvases, more than twenty premixed oil paints, and brushes
Date Popularity peaked in 1954
Developer Dan Robbins, an employee of Palmer Paint Company in Detroit, Michigan
Part of the do-it-yourself movement and the general interest in learning to paint, paint-by-numbers kits were the decade’s most popular hobby product and became emblematic of the growing leisure time of most Americans.
Max Klein, owner of Palmer Paint Company, was interested in expanding his products into something suitable for the entire family. Dan Robbins believed his paint-by-numbers idea would work; he recalled that the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci taught students and apprentices to paint by numbering parts of a canvas and assigning basic colors to them. The Palmer company’s Craft Master sets received their first major exposure at Macy’s department store in New York City in November, 1950. In slightly more than a year, the company sold more than fifteen million kits, and thirty-five other companies entered the market. Paintings mainly depicted animals, seascapes, landscapes, still-lifes, and religious themes. The most popular kit was one depicting the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. Advertising slogans for the kits claimed that “Every man is a Rembrandt!” and “A beautiful painting the first time you try!”
Impact
Although professional artists, art historians, and art educators decried the paintings as “not real art,” consumers found them an enjoyable use of increased leisure time and a way to satisfy creative yearnings. The boom ended in 1959, but the kits remained a standard hobby item into the early twenty-first century. During the 1990’s, collectors began purchasing canvases painted during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Bibliography
Bird, William L. Paint by Numbers. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 2001. This copiously illustrated, well-documented book details the product’s development and rise in popularity as well as critical responses.
Robbins, Dan. Whatever Happened to Paint-by-Numbers? Delavan, Wis.: Possum Hill, 1998. Humorously written, in-depth account by the product’s inventor.