Architectural paint analyst Natasha Loeblich traces the histories of structures from such as the Revolutionary War-era buildings at Colonial Williamsburg, by studying what’s on their walls. I spoke to her about her work and the field.
What exactly is architectural paint analysis?
Well, basically it’s just looking at the paints on the building and trying to figure out the original color. And a lot of people want to know not just the original color, but also what the building’s been painted over history. And then in those paints you’re trying to find specifically the pigments that are coloring the paints, but also what the binder was—so for example if it was an oil paint, or if it was a lime wash, or a distemper or something like that.
