Tube of Pourpre riche (Deep purple) paint
Maker
A. Lacroix Chimiste
Datec 1880
Object number00006109
NameTube
MediumMetal, paper
DimensionsOverall: 12 x 47 x 7 mm
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA ttube of of 'Pourpre Riche' (Deep purple) paint t produced by A. Lacroix, chemist, Paris.
Very small soft metal tube with screw cap, stamped on rim 'A.L.'.
An inscription on bottom of tube reads 'Brevette SGDG made in France' [Bte SGDG means patented in France].
Found in medicine chest 00006090.HistoryThe invention of the paint tube in 1841 was a technological advancement that would have repercussions up until today.
Traditional artists stored paint in the urine bladders from pigs, although cost effective and portable the bladders became dirty, were inefficient and difficult to use. In 1841 George Goffe Rand patented the first 'metallic, collapsible tube of oil paint'. In addition to solving the problems of cleanliness and paint preservation, the tubes would be able to be mass produced over the next few decades.
Initially the tubes were too expensive for most artist but by the 1850's the price came down. Chemists and technicians committed to experimenting with the new technology and advances in pigment production, oils and additives were made.SignificanceThis paint tube is part of a collection of material contained in a medicine chest with the initials 'A.L.' The chest was carried to Australia by a passenger on a voyage during the 1880's. 
