Crayola Crayons
Item
Title
Crayola Crayons
Description
Cherished by generations of child artists, Crayola crayons were invented in 1903 by the Binney & Smith Company of Easton, Pennsylvania. Using paraffin wax and nontoxic pigments, the company produced a coloring stick that was safe, sturdy, and affordable. The name "Crayola," coined by the wife of the company's founder, comes from "craie," French for "chalk," and "oleaginous," or "oily."
This Crayola set for "young artists" was one of the earliest produced. Its twenty-eight colors include celestial blue, golden ochre, rose pink, and burnt sienna. The box is marked, "No. 51, Young Artists Drawing Crayons, for coloring Maps, Pictures" and contains twenty two of the original 28 crayons. The rear of the box depicts a girl coloring a piece of art on an easel and lists the crayon colors contained in the box. Both the packaging and the color names and crayon colors change over time reflecting social and cultural trends. Crayons are icons of American childhood that recall our collective memory for coloring both inside and outside the lines. Affordable and easily obtainable, they have transformed art education and fostered creativity in schools and homes, providing color to children for generations.
This Crayola set for "young artists" was one of the earliest produced. Its twenty-eight colors include celestial blue, golden ochre, rose pink, and burnt sienna. The box is marked, "No. 51, Young Artists Drawing Crayons, for coloring Maps, Pictures" and contains twenty two of the original 28 crayons. The rear of the box depicts a girl coloring a piece of art on an easel and lists the crayon colors contained in the box. Both the packaging and the color names and crayon colors change over time reflecting social and cultural trends. Crayons are icons of American childhood that recall our collective memory for coloring both inside and outside the lines. Affordable and easily obtainable, they have transformed art education and fostered creativity in schools and homes, providing color to children for generations.
Date, date span, or circa acceptable
1903
File name
Crayola Crayons
Sources archive, University Archives and Special Collections or Women and Leadership Archives
Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Source
Maker: Binney and Smith
ID NUMBER
2000.0073.41
ACCESSION NUMBER
2000.0073
CATALOG NUMBER
2000.0073.41
National Museum of American History
Link: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1196565
ID NUMBER
2000.0073.41
ACCESSION NUMBER
2000.0073
CATALOG NUMBER
2000.0073.41
National Museum of American History
Link: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1196565
Subject
crayons
Rights
Terms of Use: https://www.si.edu/Termsofuse
