The "Paint-By-Number Makes Art Accessible To All" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking the halls of Moravian Manor with my mom looking at the latest painting she had hanging for all to see.  My mother, Dorothea, was a resident of Moravian Manor, a retirement and nursing home in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania for close to 10 years.  She first went there after she was trying to take care of my father at their home in Grandview Heights and got a hernia while trying to lift him.  Dad followed her to Moravian Manor shortly after she entered the facility so he could be there with her.  Little did we know that he would pass shortly after and mom would become a permanent resident, since she couldn't manage a large house by herself.  She grew to love the home and most of the residents who became new neighbors to her.  Our church also held monthly services at the home and gave me a chance to once again go to church with her.  I spent many a day visiting and eating lunch with her in the cafeteria where you could get a sandwich, bowl of soup and a drink for under $5.  For many years mom did watercolor painting and once at Moravian Manor decided she would like to try the paint-by-number pictures.  

One of my mother's paintings.  She was known in the
neighborhood as Grandma Woods for her style similar to
Grandma Moses.  She eventually used the Paint-by-Number kits.

I purchased a few landscapes for her and in no time she was enjoying painting once again.  Her friends would all compli- ment her for her skill which made her try even harder to succeed.  Before she became interested in watercolors, she had spent many hours on the paint-by-number pictures that were the creation of Dan Robbins, an artist who created the first kits and turned the paintings in a 1950s sensation.  

The cover of the Paint-by-Number kit.

I had recently read that Mr. Robbins died in early April at the age of 93.  Many thought his paint-by-number kits were just a novelty, but he was celebrated by the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History shortly after coming up with the idea of painting between the lines.  Mr. Robbins had been working as a package designer for the Palmer Paint Company in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1940s when he came up with the idea for the paint-by-number pictures.  He claimed his inspiration came from Leonardo da Vinci.  Leonardo was supposed to have used numbered background patterns for his students and apprentices, so Dan decided to try the same thing.  His first attempt was a still life that his boss at Palmer hated, but encouraged Dan to try some landscapes which his boss liked much better.  The Craft Master paint-by-number kits weren't embraced at first, but with people such as my mom taking a liking to them, they began to sell and peaked at 20 million in 1955.  Everyone had a chance to paint a bit of Americana and I also got into the fad by painting a few myself.  It gave everyone a chance to be an artist even though you may not have had any skill.  Those living in the "cookie-cutter" society were able to paint pictures and actually frame and hang them on the wall in their home.  Mr. Robbins eventually designed Happy Meal toys for McDonald's.  As for my mom she found that she could continue with her love of painting even though she didn't draw the original herself.  

Mom celebrating her 85th birthday with her great-grand kids.

She lived to be 90 years old and still enjoyed the Paint-by-number kits until her last few months.  As we walked the halls of Moravian Manor you could find one of her framed paint-by-number prints in most hallways.  I haven't visited since she died eight years ago, but I'll bet they still grace the walls of the assisted living section of the home.  The paint-by-number kit that Mr. Roggins developed made just about anyone a painter and spred the arts across the world.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.