The Oldest Paint Brush I Own

I'm pretty sure I bought this brush in 1971 or 1972. When dinosaurs ruled the earth. I still use it and as you can see it's not in terrible shape. As a rule I don't throw out brushes just because they've lost their shape or worn out. They might get demoted to a function that could best be described as scrubber or scumbler, but there is still a use for the old ones.

In the early 1970s I was still in art school at Tulane University's Newcomb School of Art and I was working in acrylic. Soon after I bought this brush I stupidly neglected to clean it after using it with whatever acrylic colors I was using that day. Because it was new -- albeit ruined -- I could not bear to throw it out. So for more than 30 years I kept it with my batch of brushes. Then about five years ago I finally gave it a close look and thought that if I couldn't reclaim it to a useful function I should throw it out.

Today there are a number of very good soaps for cleaning brushes that I'm not sure existed thirty-eight years ago. With patience and repeated gentle washing I was able to return this thing to usefulness.

The brush itself is bristle, considerably softened by repeated washings. Today the manufacturers make a big deal out of boar and hog bristle imported from China. Back then, anything artistic was of enhanced value if it came from France, a land where art was deeply appreciated.

In the intervening decades the wooden handle has mottled noticeably like some sort of tiger-maple. I doubt that Raphael brushes are made in France today and, in fact, I no longer buy 'flats' as these straight edged-brushes are called. But, like owning an antique car, it's still nice to take it out once in a while and put it to work.