The Slow Invention of Spray Paint

Aug 25, 2025

Explore the fascinating evolution of spray paint, tracing its journey from invention to a beloved artistic medium. Discover the story of inventors like Joseph Binks and the impact of revolutionary figures such as Frank D. Millett. Learn how spray paint reshaped urban art movements and cultural expressions. Delve into the innovative advancements of aerosol technology and its surprising origins, revealing how a simple can transformed both art and industry. The legacy of spray paint is rich, filled with unexpected twists and creative breakthroughs.

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ANECDOTE

Binks' Whitewash Sprayer

Joseph Binks supposedly built a handheld pressurized sprayer to speed whitewashing at Marshall Field's in the late 1880s.
The device used a reservoir, hose, nozzle, and hand pump to pressurize and spray the whitewash.

ANECDOTE

DeVilbiss' Medical Atomizer

Dr. Allen DeVilbiss invented the atomizer to deliver medicines evenly in the throat and marketed it widely from 1890.
His company later adapted atomizers into paint sprayers used by furniture makers.

INSIGHT

Aerosol Principle Explained

Aerosols differ from compressed-air sprayers because they use a pressurized propellant to dispense liquid particles in gas form.
Erik Rotheim's 1926/1931 patents introduced liquefied dimethyl ether inside a pressure vessel, enabling practical aerosol cans.

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The possible contenders for the title of inventor of spray paint were actually working across decades. And really, all those people contributed pieces of the story.

Research:

Abplanalp, R.H. “Valve mechanism for dispensing gases and liquids under pressure.” U.S. Patent Office. March 17, 1953. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/e2/65/be/710e864cf870d8/US2631814.pdf
“About Binks.” https://binks.com/about-us/
Andreassen, Dag. “The world's first spray can?” Teknismuseum. Nov. 6, 2024. https://www.tekniskmuseum.no/en/stories/spray-can
“Atomizer.” Smithsonian National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_721925
Baisya, Pramila. “A Brief History of Spray Paint.” UP Magazine. https://upmag.com/a-brief-history-of-spray-paint/
Bancroft, Hubert Howe. “The book of the fair; an historical and descriptive presentation of the world's science, art, and industry, as viewed through the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893.” The Bancroft Co. 1893. https://archive.org/details/bookfair1banca/page/68/mode/2up
Bellis, Mary. "The History of Aerosol Spray Cans." ThoughtCo, May. 11, 2025, thoughtco.com/history-of-aerosol-spray-cans-1991231
“Boss of the Year Secretary Speaker in Sycamore.” The Sycamore Tribune. April 29, 1960. https://www.newspapers.com/image/898198730/?match=1&terms=Edward%20H.%20Seymour
“Definitions of “Aerosol Product” and Related Terms in Various Federal and State Regulations, Standards and Codes.” National Institute od Standards and Technology. February 2012. https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/pml/wmd/Definitions-of-Aerosol-Product.pdf
“DeVilbiss Atomizers.” Wood Library Museum of Anesthesiology. https://www.woodlibrarymuseum.org/museum/devilbiss-atomizers/
“Francis Davis Millet and Millet family papers, 1858-1984, bulk 1858-1955.” Smithsonian. https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/francis-davis-millet-and-millet-family-papers-9048/biographical-note
Greenbaum, Hillary and Dana Rubinstein. “The Origin of Spray Paint.” New York Times magazine. Nov. 4, 2011. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/who-made-spray-paint.html
Haberkorn, Stephen. “Seymour of Sycamore: Aerosol Paint Inventor Still Mass Producing.” The Daily Chronicle. May 31, 2014. https://www.newspapers.com/image/183344909/?match=1&terms=%22Nancy%20Seymour%20Heatley%22
Linden, Chris. “The 1893 Columbian Exposition: Remembering Chicago’s White City.” Northwest Quarterly. Dec. 10, 2012. https://northwestchicagoland.northwestquarterly.com/2012/12/10/the-1893-columbian-exposition-remembering-chicagos-white-city/
“Oslo, Home of the Spray Can.” Oslo Science Park. Sept. 24, 2024. https://www.forskningsparken.no/en/news/2024-oslo-home-of-the-spray-can
“A Patent on a Rattle in a Can.” The Lemont Herald. May 22, 1952. https://www.newspapers.com/image/700713398/?match=1&terms=%22Edward%20H.%20Seymour%22
Rotheim, Erik. “METHOD AND MEANS FOR THE ATOMIZING OR IDISTRIBUTION OF LIQUID OR SEMI-LIQUID MATERIALS.” United States Patent Office. April 7, 1931. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/f5/fb/c3/05208e6542c01c/US1800156.pdf
Seymour, E.H. “HERMETICALLY SEALED PACKAGE FOR MIXING AND DISCHARGING ” Dec. 25, 1951. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c0/4b/45/2677a2b12e2430/US2580132.pdf
“Seymour Man Develops New Spray Device.” The Daily Chronicle. May 27, 1952. https://www.newspapers.com/image/126585367/?match=1&terms=%22Edward%20H.%20Seymour%22
“Summary of the Clean Air Act.” EPA. https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act

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