Sonia for St. Valentine

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We’ve treated you to the work of the artist Sonia Delaunay here before. And for good reasons. Her geometric paintings on the French bodies of Talbots, Voisins and Citroëns have almost become a symbol for the roaring 1920s she so much was a part of. Oh, she passed away as late as in 1979 and even did an ‘art car’ for Matra as late as in 1967.

Valentine Paint Company

But what brings us back to her today is the fact that it will be St. Valentine’s Day this weekend. Oh, not so much for romantic reasons - sorry! This time it’s about the Valentine Paint Company. The US-based Valentine advertised their Valspar Enamel automobile paint with ‘Starts Bright – Stays Bright’ and ‘The varnish that won't turn white’. And Valspar was early to adopt clever marketing means also. Promoted widely as world’s first clear varnish it had skilfully been used in a number of occasions that could attract publicity. American explorer Admiral Robert Peary had used Valentine’s varnish on his expedition to reach the North Pole in 1909, the US Army did so in WW1 while Charles Lindbergh’s plane was supposedly painted with the stuff on his first solo intercontinental flight in 1927 also.

So what better way to illustrate the long-lasting brightness of it on cars as with a cooperation with the princess of the bright paint colours of the 1920s? Exactly. A real pity we didn’t have proper colour photography at the time… Your thoughts on the cars - Citroëns we believe?

Words by Jeroen Booij. Pictures Henri Lartique, National Gallery of Australia and Autopuzzles.

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