Exterior Colors of the 1920's

1914 marked the date that American paint manufacturer's no longer imported raw materials from Europe. Pigments, or the coloring agent, were produced from iron oxides ( ochres, umbers, siennas, and reds); lead (chrome yellow, chrome orange, and chrome green); carbon (lampblack, black and graphite) and organic compounds. The organic pigments included carmine produced from insects, Dutch Pink produced from a tree bark, and alizarine produced from coal tar. The chemical pigments, common in today's paints followed Germany's defeat in the first World War.

During the 1920's, colors followed the architecture philosophy of the period. They were simpler and more natural than the Victorian combinations. The color combinations found in Prairie School and Craftsman style architecture were base on the use of complimentary colors, rather than the "Queen Anne" use of contrasting colors. Victorians often made use of more combinations that included reds, with blue, or yellows with green.

Exterior color combinations from 1911 through 1930 often included five part color schemes. The front door was usually a stained wood color. And the wood shingle roof was often painted to extend the life of the roof and add another color.