The Colourman Archives of Roberson & Co and Winsor & Newton: A History of Colour

Imagine holding a letter from William Holman Hunt about the quality of a new organic, synthetic red, accompanied by his own experimental swatches on canvas—or immersing yourself in reading the letters artists sent on quality and supply, or going through the accounts listing the materials they bought. The Fitzwilliam Museum holds exactly these kinds of treasures—two extraordinary archives documenting Charles Roberson & Co (founded 1820) and Winsor & Newton (founded 1832), two of the largest artists’ materials suppliers in 19^th and early 20^th century London. These are not just dusty archive documents, but they provide a backstage pass to the Victorian art scene.

From Raw Earth to Masterpiece

Thanks to generous support from the Tavolozza Foundation, these previously inaccessible collections are now being digitised for the first time. We digitised approximately 17K pages, generating 1,7 TB of data, and covering 35 account books, several letter books and studio books. And this is only a part of the very rich Roberson Archive.

What is emerging is nothing short of remarkable: the complete journey of how paint was made, from pigments shipped from across the world to the finished oil, watercolour and gouache paints. The archives contain account books tracking every purchase, correspondence revealing the personal relationships between artists and their suppliers, and recipe books showing how manufacturers experimented with new formulas. There are many paint tubes, watercolour cakes, pigment samples, experiments with new colours, and paints from the competition, and even the wooden lay figures artists used as models. Export records trace how these British paints conquered international markets, while colour charts show us exactly what hues were available in 1850 to the 1970s, and which new types of paints were developed.

Solving Artistic Mysteries

These documents offer tantalizing possibilities for research. Who were London's working artists—not just the famous names, but the obscure painters, amateurs, designers, and craftspeople? By analysing purchasing patterns, researchers can map artistic communities, discover trends, track individual artists' technical evolution, and understand how their material choices might have shaped their style and vice versa.

Science

The scientific story is equally compelling. The 19th century was a revolutionary period for paint chemistry, with the Industrial Revolution enabling entirely new pigments to replace some difficult to produce, costly, and instable traditional ones. But not all innovations aged well. The vibrant pink Geranium lakes—produced by both companies—often faded to nothing. As some of these fragile early synthetic pigments continue to deteriorate, new pigments were constantly developed. Understanding exactly what manufacturers created has become urgent work for conservators and heritage scientists.

A Social History in Colour

Beyond the technical details lies a rich social history. These archives capture the day-to-day reality of running a business in Victorian London—negotiations with raw material suppliers, competition between rival firms like Newman and Reeves, the challenges of maintaining quality while scaling up production, and the delicate balance of keeping temperamental artist-clients satisfied. Equally, the account books represent a diverse group of users, from amateurs to professionals, art teachers to prestigious art academies.

Opening the Archives

This pilot digitisation project already transforms the archives from a specialist resource into something accessible to anyone curious about how paints and paintings were made. Researchers can now explore connections between these business records and the Museum's wider collections, telling stories that bridge commercial trade history, scientific innovation, and artistic achievement. The material invites not just academic study but public engagement, and educational programs where students recreate historical paint formulas. We are now planning conservation treatment of the most vulnerable volumes in the archives which so far could not be digitised. We thank the Tavolozza Foundation and the Leche Trust for their support with this.

The Colourman Archives go beyond the past. They help us understand how materials, manufacturing, experimentation, makers and users connected— the ordinary transactions and material circumstances that supported the creation of masterpieces.

Generously supported by: