A comprehensive study of early 20th-century oil-based enamel paints : Integrating industrial technical literature and analytical data

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the developments in oil-based industrial paint technology in Europe and North America in the first half of the 20th century, focusing on the selection of pigments, extenders, driers, oils, and resins, and their contribution to the final properties of the paints. The study also discusses the industrial methods of paint preparation and emphasizes the changes that took place in paint technology in that period. A review of period literature is combined with scientific analysis of historical oil-based enamel paints produced in France in the years 1890 to 1950 from the Art Institute of Chicago’s reference collection, with a special focus on Ripolin paints.