19th Century Paint Colors

Natural Colors

• Andrew Jackson Dowling promoted the use of colors found in the local landscape and those that reflected the colors of natural materials used in building. In this vein, grays and browns were popular due to their reflection of such materials as stone and wood. Red was also popular for its association with brick. Greens and blues were used, but these colors in paint didn't have the stability seen today, due to the chemical make-up of paint at the time. The one color Andrew Jackson Dowling did not promote, and in fact advised against, was white. According to professional color consultant and contributor to "Old House Journal" magazine John Crosby Freeman, Dowling viewed white painted wood homes as dishonest.

Victorian Jewel Tones

• Though Jackson's writings, and his color cards, promoted those colors found in nature, the Victorian era, and its architectural excesses, exploited the new technologies and availability of new paint colors. Homes were painted in a myriad of colors, from topaz to gold to bright pinks and yellows. The trend to multiple colors on a home's exterior, though, faded relatively quickly, having risen in the late 19th century and fallen out of fashion in the early 20th century.

Local Colors

• Throughout the 19th century, however, homeowners tended to seek out paint colors that blended well with the local environment. Homes in New England were more likely to be painted in Jackson's color schemes of gray, brown and ruddy reds than those homes farther south. In the warmer climes, yellow, orange and white were more popular due to their cooling effect on the home's interior. To the west, homes were sandy brown and crisp yellow, accented with pinks and blues to reflect the desert landscape.

  All colors throughout most of the 19th century, were "natural" colors as the paints were produced from natural pigments. It wasn't until the end of the century -- and into the 20th century -- that synthetic paints, and synthetic colors, were used for homes. Mauve, maroon and the more electric purples sometimes seen on renovated Victorian homes were not possible until the turn of the century.