Every man a Rembrandt! (Original 1950s ad campaign for paint by number kits)

{HISTORY}

Cheers to the hobby painters of the mid-20th-century art scene!

First started in Detriot, MI, the brainchild of artist Dan Roberts, in cooperation with the Palmer Show Card Company, paint-by-number kits debuted in 1951. A bit slow to start, the kits picked up speed and popularity with their first big splash into the retail market at the New York Toy Fair in 1952. Home hobbyists were enchanted by this new type of fill-in-the-blank art.  By 1954, they were selling over 12 million kits a year with subject matters that ranged from seascapes to dog portraits, still lifes to landscapes, and practically everything in between.

This vintage paint-by-number is Subject No. 11, titled Love's Tribute. It was a part of the first line of kits where the paint-by-number grids were printed on rolled canvas and accompanied by oil paints. Later the medium changed to cardboard and the paint to acrylic. Sized at 12x16 it contains an array of pastel shades including mint, mauve, blush, butter and grey. Deep raisin and pine green tones add depth and texture. 

Now hard to find in this early rolled canvas/oil paint format, this vintage paint-by-number was skillfully executed creating a colorful and dramatic portrait that signifies the start of what would become a beloved and iconic form of painting for millions of art enthusiasts around the globe. So fun for vintage PBN collectors!

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- 12x16

- Copyright information runs along the bottom edge of the painting and includes the following: Love's Tribute -  Subject No 11 - 12"x16" - Copyright 1951 by Palmer Show Card Paint Co Inc. - 21600 Wyoming Ave Detroit 20 Mich

- Oil on canvas

{CONDITION}

In great vintage condition, this canvas was folded at the edges around a piece of vintage 1950s-era cardboard that was secured at one end with tape. The cardboard can easily be removed without any damage to the canvas, as the tape is no longer sticky. The canvas itself is in great shape. There is one small puncture about 1/8th of an inch in diameter at the very bottom of the painting -  underneath the vase area - but due to the numerous paint colors in that section, it is barely noticeable.  The white border of the canvas where it has been folded around the cardboard has become brittle in spots - none of this affects or runs into the painted areas of the canvas. The colors are bright and each painted area is tidy in execution. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 12" inches x 16" inches and weighs 3 oz.