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A large machine might also change ownership
several times during its working life as the result
of corporate mergers or other business-related
measures. Each change might result in a new paint
scheme. This occurred frequently in the latter half
of the twentieth century with diesel locomotives
and passenger airplanes and the practice continues
today. The resulting coats of paint are all genuine.
Even if repainting were carried out today, just prior to
donating the machine to a museum, the finish would
still be considered as historically valid. What ties all of
these finishes together and gives them legitimacy is the
fact that they were all applied under the supervision
and direction of a corporate body in accordance with
written specifications. Specifications are the key. They
are a form of written documentation that guarantees
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what might be called, for lack of a better term, the
lineage or pedigree of a finish. [5]
Artifacts in private hands such as automobiles,
motorcycles, bicycles and small boats are a different
story. All were subjected to a much less rigorous
maintenance schedule. In general, they were repainted
on an ”as needed” basis, often by individual owners
with little or no experience and substandard tools and
equipment. Refinishing ads and brochures distributed
by firms like Valspar, Glidden and DuPont suggest that
do-it-yourself repainting of automobiles by private
owners was a widespread practice in the 1920s.
Some might argue that a 1924 automobile repainted
by its owner in 1927 has a historically valid finish
because of its age, but this may be stretching the value
system to an unacceptable level. Giving anonymous
individuals the same status as corporations debases
Figure 1 1924 Valentine & Company ad. Repainting was part of a vehicle’s routine maintenance. Source: The Saturday Evening Post,
May 24th, 1924, page 45.