Crayons
What would childhood be without a box of crayons? For many youngsters, spending endless hours recreating the world with these colourful creations brings immense joy and fulfilment to their lives. Unleashing creative skills and allowing fertile imaginations to flourish, crayons aid the child in self-expression through art. This has been true for over 100 years now, and we have Edwin Binney and Harold Smith to thank.
Edwin Binney and Harold Smith founded Binney & Smith, Inc. in the late 1800s in New York City. This American company focused on industrial colourings. It was their red oxide pigments that were used to create the paint that was to transform the American landscape, turning country barns red. They also provided Goodrich tires with carbon pigments which not only turned their white auto tires black, but provided for a more durable product. It did not take long for white tires to be a thing of the past.
Binney & Smith, Inc. produced school products like slate pencils and dustless chalk, which won the gold medal at the St. Louis World Exposition. During this time it became apparent that there was a need for affordable, kid-friendly wax crayons. At the time, wax crayons were large, with muted colour tones, and used mainly in industry. By adding brightly coloured pigments to the paraffin wax, and reducing the size of the crayons to conform to little hands, a popular new school product was created to the delight of teachers and children alike.
The name "Crayola" was coined by Alice Binney, the wife of Edwin Binney. It was a combination of the French word (craie), which means chalk, and part stemmed from the word "oleaginous" which means oily. In 1903 Binney & Smith produced the first box of crayons. It consisted of eight colours (yellow, orange, red, green, blue, violet, brown and black). "Crayola" crayons today come in more than 120 different colours. |
