Paint By Number Collection
name: label: Donor
content: Schiffman, Jacquelyn
label: Creator
content: Palmer Paint Company
topic: label: Topic
content: Art, American -- 1930-1960
label: Topic
content: Leisure -- United States
label: Topic
content: Painting -- 1930-1960
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated by Jacquelyn Schiffman, September 21, 1997.
creator: label: Donor
content: Schiffman, Jacquelyn
label: Creator
content: Palmer Paint Company
setName: label: See more items in
content: Paint By Number Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents the business activities of the Palmer Paint Sales Company creators and manufacturers of Craft Master Paint by Number kits. Materials Include mail order forms, photographs, advertisements, product information, newspaper and magazine articles, invoices, original artwork, trade literature, and scrapbooks.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The concept of paint by number was conceived in 1949 by Max Klein (1922-1993) engineer and owner of the Palmer Paint Sales Company and commercial artist John Daniel (Dan) Robbins (1925-2019). Klein was interested in increasing paint sales when he presented Dan Robbins, the company's creator of package designs and children's book illustrations, the challenge. Under the Craft Master name, they created kits with the assistance of other artists who helped Robbins with the task of making the outlines, creating transparent overlays, painting, printing, and proofing artwork. Both Klein's and Robbins's wives spent time painting samples for Craft Master to test and display. In 1959 Klein sold Craft Master which he set up as a separate company after the product became so successful. It has since gone through several ownerships.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5 Cubic feet (16 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1952-1957, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0544
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Clippings
label: Type
content: Designs
label: Type
content: Layouts
label: Type
content: Sheet music
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection is arranged in fourteen series.


Series 1, Advertising and Promotional Materials, 1952-1955, undated


Series 2, General Motors Corporation, undated


Series 3, Newspaper Articles, 1953-1954, undated 


Series 4, Photographs, 1954, undated


Series 5, Transparencies, undated


Series 6, Painting and Sketch Sets, undated 


Series 7, Sketches, undated 


Series 8, Paintings, undated


Series 9, Paintings with Color Sketches, undated


Series 10, Paintings, Transparencies, and Sketches, undated


Series 11, Sketches, undated


Series 12, Scrapbooks, 1953-1957, undated


Series 13, Paint By Number Kits, undated


Series 14, Sheet Music, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Ida Jones, 1999.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Clippings
label: Genre/Form
content: Designs
label: Genre/Form
content: Layouts -- 1930-1960
label: Genre/Form
content: Sheet music -- 1920-1960
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Collection documents the history and business activities of the Palmer Paint Sales Company primarily the sale of its products and in particular the Craft Master paint by number kits.  The kits were sold as boxed sets starting with a canvas and later board printed with a blue line drawing. The drawing's numbered sections corresponded to specific paint colors which were also included in the kits along with brushes and instructions. The paint by number kits varied in size, detail, skill level, and targeted audience. The Palmer Paint Sales Company was not the only merchandiser of paint by number kits, but it was the largest and most prolific probably due to Klein's marketing skills and the artistic talents of the company's employees. The collection includes advertisements, newspaper and magazine articles, invoices, mail order forms, scrapbooks, photographs, original artwork, and trade literature. It is arranged in fourteen series: Series 1, Advertising and Promotional Materials, 1952-1955, undated; Series 2, General Motors Corporation, undated; Series 3, Newspaper Articles, 1953-1954, undated; Series 4, Photographs, 1954, undated; Series 5, Transparencies, undated; Series 6, Painting and Sketch Sets, undated; Series 7, Sketches, undated; Series 8, Paintings, undated; Series 9, Paintings with Color Sketches, undated; Series 10, Paintings, Transparencies, and Sketches, undated; Series 11, Sketches, undated; Series 12, Scrapbooks, 1953-1957, undated; Series 13, Paint By Number Kits, undated; and Series 14, Sheet Music, undated
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Materials at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History


Every Man a Rembrandt! Episode 188, May 1954, demonstrates manufacturing painting sets with numbers.  Palmer Paint Sales Company, Detroit, Michigan.

Materials at the Smithsonian Institution Archives


Division of Social History, Exhibition Records Accession 04-069


Office of Exhibits Central, Exhibition Records Accession 08-051


Division of Social History, National Museum of American History


See http://americanhistory.si.edu/paint/reminiscence.html

Materials at Other Organizations


Paint By Numbers Museum 


Detroit Historical Society 


Detroit Historical Museum


Museum of Modern Art
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Related objects located in the Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life).