Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: The Slow Invention of Spray Paint
Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Holly Fry & Tracy V. Wilson

Episode Overview

In this episode, Holly and Tracy take listeners on a journey through the convoluted and often debated history of spray paint. Eschewing the popular topic of graffiti art, they focus instead on the technological evolution and the inventors whose work over more than a century gradually shaped the spray paint cans we use today. The slow, multi-decade story spans whitewashing basement walls, decorating grand exposition buildings, and the quest for a reliable aerosol can.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Episode Motivation and Scope

• Personal Anecdote: Holly, while staring at graffiti on trains and reflecting on how historical train travelers would view modern train graffiti, realized, "they didn’t even have spray paint," sparking curiosity about spray paint's origins. (03:10)
• Clarifying Topic Focus:

  "We're not talking about graffiti art... The invention of spray paint, like a lot of inventions, is kind of a matter of debate." — Holly Fry (03:41)

2. Early Innovations: Joseph Binks’s Whitewash Sprayer

• Joseph Binks: Often cited as an originator of sprayable pigment, his story is hard to verify with primary sources.
• Context: Binks was a maintenance manager at Marshall Fields in Chicago. He sought a faster way to whitewash the department store's vast basement, inventing a pressurized sprayer to apply the lime-based wash. (05:16–08:14)

  "He decided to try to create a faster method...a reservoir for the whitewash, a hose with a nozzle, and a hand pump that could pressurize the liquid in the reservoir and then spray it out." — Tracy V. Wilson (07:30)

• Notable Myth: Some versions of the story tie the invention to the aftermath of the 1871 Chicago Fire—an anachronism, as Binks’s sprayer was really from the late 1880s. (08:14)

3. Francis Davis Millet and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition

• Francis Davis Millet: Renowned artist, muralist, and journalist. Served as director of decorations for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
• Spray Paint at the Fair:
  • Faced with the task of painting the exposition’s massive plaster buildings to look like white marble, Millet (or his department) devised a paint sprayer described in detail in contemporary accounts.

  "A contrivance was therefore fashioned by Frank D. Millet...whereby four men working in unison could accomplish the task of 50." — Holly Fry, quoting Bancroft’s Book of the Fair (21:45)

  • The sprayer: Gas pipe nozzle, rubber hose, air pump, electric power (22:22)

  "The sprayer created for the Expo appears to have been a more industrial design, both in the size and the use of electrical current to run it." — Tracy V. Wilson (24:01)

• Historical Controversy:
  • Ongoing debate whether Millet invented a new device or simply deployed/modified Binks’s earlier invention. Both names are cited; contemporary images label the World’s Fair device as “Millet Spraying Machine.” (20:03–21:45)

4. Medical Atomizers to Paint Sprayers: Dr. Allen DeVilbiss

• DeVilbiss’s Atomizer: As an ear, nose, and throat doctor in the 1880s, DeVilbiss created an atomizer for spraying medicinal liquids in the throat or sinuses.

  "Pinch the bulb and the resulting pressure burst would create a fine spray of droplets." — Tracy V. Wilson (24:58)

• Product Expansion: The company moved from medical to perfume atomizers, then in 1907, Dr. DeVilbiss’s son Thomas adapted the atomizer for paint. The paint sprayer was rapidly adopted by furniture makers. (25:19–25:54)
• Legacy: The DeVilbiss and Binks companies (two major players in early spray technologies) are ultimately connected in modern manufacturing.

5. The Aerosol Leap: Erich Rotheim and the Modern Spray Can

• Compressed Air vs. Aerosol: Early spray systems relied on compressed air; true aerosol cans (using pressurized gas to atomize paint on demand) came later.
• Erich Rotheim’s Patent:
  • Norwegian chemical engineer, patented an aerosol can in the late 1920s, using dimethyl ether as a propellant. (31:15)
  • Main challenge: Engineering a nozzle that wouldn’t clog.

  "He kind of hit a wall when it came to developing a nozzle that would not clog." — Holly Fry (32:47)

  • Patent history: Disputed accounts of sale to U.S. companies; Rotheim died young and his company shut down by 1940. (33:16–33:49)
• WWII Impact: U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists adapted Rotheim’s design for portable insecticide sprays, widely used by troops to combat disease. (34:46)

6. Commercial Success: Ed Seymour and the Consumer Spray Paint Can

• Practical Innovation:
  • In 1949, Ed Seymour wanted to demonstrate aluminum radiator paint without heavy equipment. His wife Bonnie suggested aerosolizing the paint, inspired by insecticide cans. (35:08)
  • Ed developed the first spray paint can, combining paint, propellant, and an easy-to-use spray head. (35:37)

  "He combined the paint with aerosol in a can and then he used a spray head to make it easy to spread." — Holly Fry (35:37)

• Patent & Adoption:
  • Patent issued in December 1951 for "hermetically sealed package for mixing and discharging paint paint," including the now-familiar mixing ball. (36:02)
  • Local newspapers dubbed it “rattle in a can.” Initially for demonstrations, it became a hit consumer product. (37:35)
• Seymour Company: Expanded rapidly into automotive, industrial, and traffic paints. The company remains family-run for decades.

7. The Problem of the Nozzle: Precision Valve’s Plastic Breakthrough

• Valve Mechanics:
  • Early nozzles rusted and clogged; Robert Abplanalp of Precision Valve Company developed a reliable plastic nozzle in the 1940s/50s, opening the floodgates for expanded consumer and industrial spray paint usage. (39:06–40:11)

  "At this point, with the plastic nozzle in place, the spray paint industry exploded." — Holly Fry (40:11)

8. Regulation, Reformulation, and the Modern Era

• Health & Environment:
  • Lead paint bans and the Clean Air Act of the 1970s forced companies to reformulate products to reduce toxicity, VOCs, and environmental impact.

  "The Seymour Company, I will say, was ahead of the game on this and had things removed before they were required to." — Holly Fry (41:06)

• Looking Ahead: Interest continues in developing sustainable, environmentally friendly spray paints. (41:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We're going to step through a number of people and moments that get us to the point where you could just go to the hardware store and grab a can of paint and paint something at your house." — Holly Fry (04:55)
• "All you do is shake the can, then press the button. Almost any job of painting...becomes a simple operation with no mess, sticky brushes or turpentine..." — Newspaper article on Seymour’s spray can (37:35)
• "If you look at it in kind of its grander scale, it's more a matter of all of these people contributing pieces to the story." — Holly Fry (04:25)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:10] – How a moment spent gazing at graffiti inspired this episode
• [05:16] – Joseph Binks and whitewashing with one of the first spray devices
• [09:40] – Francis Davis Millet’s background and artistic career
• [19:26] – Using paint sprayers at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair
• [24:18] – Dr. Allen DeVilbiss and the invention of the atomizer
• [29:23] – Distinction between compressed air sprayers and aerosol spray cans
• [31:15] – Erich Rotheim and the patenting of the aerosol can
• [34:46] – WWII and the use of aerosols for insecticides
• [35:08] – Ed Seymour and the consumer spray paint can
• [39:06] – The invention of the plastic nozzle and mass adoption of spray paint
• [40:11] – Environmental regulations and reformulations

Tone and Language

The episode maintains the chatty, accessible, and gently humorous tone typical of the podcast, blending curiosity with critical historical inquiry. The hosts express appreciation for digging into historical puzzles and openly acknowledge uncertainties about inventor attributions throughout.

Conclusion

The invention of spray paint is a patchwork of ingenious solutions to practical problems, gradual technological improvements, and even a bit of serendipity (and good advice from a spouse). From basement whitewashing to world fairs, from medical atomizers to bug sprays to the ready-to-use colorful cans we know today, spray paint’s history is one of incremental innovation and ongoing transformation.