Dutch Boy Strikes Again!: Lead-Based Watercolors in Paint Books for Children

'Dutch Boy White - Lead' was the trademark of the National Lead Company, the leading manufacturer of lead products in the United States in the early twentieth century. Though there was ample medical literature linking childhood lead poisoning to lead paint, National Lead continued to promote their products to the American public. Dutch Boy produced color-by-paint booklets for children to build generational brand loyalty, reasoning that the 'children of today are the grown ups of tomorrow.' The Winterthur Library has seven of these booklets, one of which, the Dutch Boy Conquers Old Man Gloom, required minor conservation treatment. A watercolor palette of the primary colors is in the center of the booklet, and considering the use of lead in house paint, the composition of the watercolors was called into question. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify the watercolors. Both techniques confirmed the presence of lead (II) chromate in booklets ranging from 1914 to 1929. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to quantify the amount of friable lead present, informing the conservation treatment approach. Housings were modified for the health and safety of library staff and researchers.