n India too, man’s search for images began as early as his search for food. After stone to stone etching, colors, though very few, came into existence.  Natural colours were extracted from minerals and flora. Samples of the first known paintings made 20,000 years ago in France and Spain reveals forms of humans and animals on stone.

Early artists relied on natural substances such as natural earth pigments, charcoal, berry juice, blood and milkweed sap.  Later, Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks began to use pigments such as Arabic gum, lime and egg.  Albumin and bees wax Paints were first used to offer a protective coating by Egyptians & Hebrews to the exposed portions of wood in the ships. Paint was rare and often unknown. Later it came as signboard and indicators. Then came the mixable paints. Linseed oil was commonly used until the 20th century. In 1700, Thomas Child built the earliest American paint mill where a

granite ball rolled in a granite troughs to mill and grind the pigment. In1865, D.P. Flinn obtained a patent for water-based paints, but it wasn’t used until 1867. Then, manufactures began mixing the pigment for consumers. Before 1930 the  pigment was ground with stone mills which was later replaced by steel balls. Around the same time, rose the need for sampling, testing, etc. Portable paint mixers came into existence. This Portable Manual Paint Mixer of the 1930s is a piece of art and every builder of repute owned one.  

One Mr. T. Battacharry, another rags to riches story, of the late 1800s was a proud recipient of this Manual Portable Paint Mixer. It is said to be gifted by Mr. James Short, a solicitor of the Madras Presidency as a gift for constructing his home at Nungumbhacum. Incidentally, Mr. Battacharry was one of the contractors who built the Madras Christian College. His office was in No. 118, Chengalvaraya Modally street, Triplicane. The gift of the Paint Mixer is said to be for use in the construction of St. Joseph’s Church, Vepery. The manual mixer lost relevance with the invent of more softer pigments and electricity. Electricity was the good evil that drove out many of the hard inventions of the earlier human race.