The Schwarz Collection

Bourgeois Aine

The French Joseph Bourgeois Aine (born 1830) opened a shop for art supplies in Paris in 1867, which featured a range of specially designed paintboxes. Before that, Bourgeois Aine had invented a process for the production of alizarin lacquer and produced the first non-toxic paints, which were especially suitable for children's paintboxes. His commitment also extended to the school sector, whereby the products were closely linked and advertised with traditional color theory (basic colors, mixing diagrams, color harmony). In 1965 there was a merger with the competitor to Lefranc & Bourgeois, which still exist today.

Pull-out artist paintbox, probably from the late 19th century

Wooden paintbox with non-toxic paints, around 1900

Tin paint box with fine artist's paints, around 1910

Advertising cardboard with mounted watercolors and the inscription “The six basic colors for coloring, which, when mixed, result in the most common tones”, recorded in the 1913 catalog

Foldable metal paintbox titled “Palette Delacroix”, recorded in the 1913 catalog

Advertisement for the so-called scientific color theory with three basic colors and mixing triangles illustrated in color, 1913

Advertisement for Raphael oil pastels from 1913 and original box

Wooden paintbox with non-toxic paints, a porcelain palette and a coloring book

Wooden paintbox for children filled with non-toxic paints

24 so-called “Chromidor” oil pastels in a metal box with Art Deco decor

Rotatable disc “Discolor” for determining so-called complementary colors, around 1930

Cardboard box filled with colors in a cheap packaging, as was typical of the post-war period before 1950