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What is a crayon? -

Basically, the crayon as we know it is a stick of pigmented wax (usually paraffin wax) that is used for drawing or writing. The wax is heated above approximately 99°F (37°C) and then cooled to the right temperature before being dyed, molded, and packaged.

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Meaning in the word -

The word "crayon" actually comes from 16th-century French, and it originally meant "chalk pencil." Today, crayon simply means "pencil" in French.

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Oldest crayons -

Some of the first crayons were made from charcoal and oil. Even pastels, which are made from gum arabic, have existed as far back as the 15th century to the time of Leonardo da Vinci.

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A literary reference -

Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ published in 1813, speaks about crayons—which makes it one of the earliest crayon references to appear in literature.

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Encaustic painting -

One of the oldest forms of painting is called "encaustic painting," and it was invented by the ancient Greeks. It involves heating wax, mixing in colored pigments, and then applying the molten mix to a surface (usually wood).

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Painting techniques -

The first-ever techniques for making encaustic paintings were described by Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

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A modern understanding -

Encaustic painting is still used today by Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and indigenous people in the Philippines. But this process does not allow the wax to be held by a person.

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The first for profit -

In America, the New York-based company Franklin Mfg. Co was one of the first to sell wax crayons. They even appeared at the World’s Columbian Exposition (pictured) in 1883 with a display of crayons.

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A stationery salesman -

But the crayons that we know today have only been around for a little over a century. In the 1880s, a stationery salesman by the name of Charles A. Bowley sold colored wax used to mark leather in America. But the wax was not very easy to use by hand.

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The beginning of the crayon -

Bowley decided to mold the wax into more manageable cylinder shapes similar to pencils, which he then packaged and sold to customers. And people loved it! In fact, Bowley’s packaging was so successful that he couldn’t keep up with production.

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Partners -

A new partnership between Bowley and the American Crayon Company was created in 1902. Before that, the company had only been producing chalk crayons.

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Crayola -

In 1903, a small company called Binney & Smith decided to coin the name "Crayola," which is a combination of the French word craie (meaning "chalk") and the first part of oleaginous, which is another name for paraffin wax.

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The Gold Medal -

Crayola became a huge success. At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the company earned an award for their dustless chalk products. In the subsequent years, Crayola advertised their Gold Medal award on their packaging.

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Evolution of color -

In the beginning, Crayola only had eight colors for their crayons: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. Over the years, they have produced more than 600 colors, although the company currently manufactures only 120 crayon colors.

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Color chart -

Crayola’s journey in creating colored crayons since 1903 is filled with intrigue. A man named Stephen von Worley even created a color chart in 2010 that gives a visual history of the company’s crayons.

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Out with the old -

In June 1990, the company decided to retire eight of its old colors and replace them with brighter ones. Interestingly, this resulted in picketing outside the company’s headquarters from a few veteran fans!

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A successful release -

The old colors were rereleased to much fanfare later that year. In fact, the colors were released in a special holiday commemorative collection.

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Renaming -

Crayola has given interesting names to many of its crayons, but sometimes they have to rename their products. In 1958, "Prussian blue" was renamed to "midnight blue" because children had no idea what Prussia was!

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Washable crayons -

After Binney & Smith received multiple complaints from consumers regarding stained fabrics and walls, a chemist named Colin Snedeker developed the first washable crayons. Snedeker was awarded a patent for the product in 1990.

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Copycats -

Binney & Smith is owned by Hallmark Cards, yet that hasn’t stopped other companies from trying to copycat and take advantage of the Crayola fame. But Hallmark closely guards their Crayola trademark.

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Other companies -

Another brand name crayon manufacturer is Rose Art Industries, based out of New Jersey. Up until 2021, the company was owned by Mattel.

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Timeless partnership -

Another notable company is the Dixon Ticonderoga Company. They are the successor to the American Crayon Company, which was the company to first partner with Bowley to make wax crayons in 1902.

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Asbestos -

In 2000, concern was raised about the potential presence of asbestos in many popular brands of crayons. Companies quickly reformulated their production in order to avoid issues for customers.

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A crayon artist - One of the most notable artists to use crayons was François Clouet (1510–1572). He used them for modeled portraits. Clouet was knighted by King Henry II of France due to his art, and became a court painter.

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A French combination -

Another artist was Nicolas Lagneau (1590–1666), who had a penchant for combining wax crayons and watercolor. Pictured here is one of his pieces, ‘Grotesque Man Wearing a Turban.’

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Preaching with art -

An American preacher called Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900–1980) was best known for preaching the Gospel using crayon drawings. Her artwork is featured in the American Folk Art Museum in New York.

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Fruity scents -

Interestingly, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History keeps a crayon collection, which reportedly includes some fruit-scented versions!

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Childhood memories -

Speaking of scent, a study conducted by Yale University once ranked crayons as number 18 on a list of the 20 most recognizable scents to American adults! Indeed, such strange wonders can be found in the world of crayons.

Sources: (Smithsonian Magazine) (Pennsylvania Center for the Book) (Crayola) (Britannica)

See also: The most famous (and expensive) paintings in the world

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