These pieces of cardboard daubed with 'straw', 'stone' and 'dark pink' shades were sent through the post 230 years ago by David Balfour to his brother Thomas. The colours and mixing instructions can be found below:
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
The letter was sent on the 30th July 1787 from Edinburgh to Orkney and closes with 'enclosed are patterns of the paints - with a note of the price':
 |
| This image is clearer if you click on it to enlarge |
This entirely delightful archive is completed by a fabulous wax seal:
We heart seals.
Neat! My g-g-g-grandfather was a chandler in Belfast way back when. One of the things he sold was paints. I expect there were paint chips in his store, too. The mixing directions are cool!
ReplyDelete