Historic Colors of America
Historic Colors of America were selected from hundreds of samples taken from historic buildings and painted objects ranging from folk carvings to elegant corner cupboards. The palette includes both early earth pigments, like Farmhouse Ochre and Codman Claret associated with farmhouses, and the more brilliant colors that became available in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The colors presented are historically accurate for old house owners or those with new homes. Whether you are repainting your Colonial or Federal period home or choosing colors for a Greek Revival, Victorian, Stick-Style or Queen Anne, you’ll find the colors in the palette enriching and full of historical character.
Interior Colors
The color trends of the past eras featured bold colors in homes. The combination of brillant woodwork colors and vibrant walls brought rooms alive. Trained conservators from SPNEA’s Conservation Center have worked with museums and private homeowners from across the country to understand, preserve and recreate the Historic Colors of America.
Exterior Colors
What did the colors of the past look like? For many years historians mistakenly assumed that the colors of the past were somber and muted, based on colors that appeared when modern paints were scraped away from old surfaces. However, modern scientific paint research has gradually discovered a vivid palette and surprisingly flamboyant combinations.
The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) curators and conservators have won national attention for unlocking the secrets of how paint colors actually looked when new, before time, sunlight and weather altered them. The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities operates a Conservation Center providing services to homeowners, collectors, museums and public agencies assisting with the conservation of important buildings, homes, furniture and objects.
For more information about SPNEA and the services they offer, please write or call SPNEA, 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114, (617) 227-3956,
website: www.spnea.org
For the nearest F&H retailer, use our storefinder, located at the top of this page, or contact us.