"Aerosol Spray Paint" in a can (as we know it today) was invented in 1949 by Edward Seymour of Illinois. Ed Seymour devised a novelty spray gun to demonstrate an aluminum paint he had created for painting steam radiators. Rumor has it that Edward's wife Bonnie had given him the idea of an aerosol applicator for paint (taken from spray deodorizers and insecticides at the time.) His "spray paint" invention was only intended to show sales prospects how the paint would look when applied to surfaces.   However, it became so popular that Edward went on to create a company "Seymour of Sycamore, Inc." of Chicago, USA, to manufacture his spray paints.  To this day, the company is still in operation with multiple facilities totaling 220,000 square feet in Sycamore, Illinois (60 miles west of Chicago.)  It also happens that Aluminum, the first spray paint color created, still has the best coverage today.


Edward Seymour himself




Seymour of Sycamore, Inc. warehouse facilities in 1996.

We reached out to the company to see if they still had the first can of spray paint produced, as it would be very interesting to see. Unfortunately, they no longer had the inital cans nor photos. The did send over the photo below which is the oldest can in their possession from 1954. It is a chrome yellow can of spray paint with a soup-can like appearance. I believe that under the cap is a rubber nozzle and these cans had to be sprayed downward at a 45 degree angle (please correct me if I'm wrong.)  I'm also sure there's all kinds of horrible chemicals in this can.



More Aerosol Facts:

• Going further back, the aerosol can was invented by Erik Rotheim of Norway. On November 23, 1927, Rotheim patented a can with a valve and propellant systems - it could hold and dispense liquids.

• The first aerosol can (a can than contains a propellant [a liquefied gas like flurocarbon] and has a spray nozzle) was invented in 1944 by Lyle David Goodloe and W.N. Sullivan. They were working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and were trying to find a way to spray and kill malaria carrying mosquitos during World War II for the soldiers overseas.

The 50's wasn't even that long ago and it makes you wonder... If aerosol spray paint was never invented, would graffiti be around as we know it today?  If spray paint was invented sooner, would graffiti be at a more advanced stage than it is today?

-Smart Crew