The Colors of Culture

The Dutch-American Stone Houses of Bergen County, New Jersey represent a distinctive form within the American vernacular architectural tradition. Built from the early eighteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century, these houses are commonly characterized by the employment of structural members based upon H-bent frame construction, red sandstone elevations, and steep gable or gambrel-shaped roofs. Although a large body of research has been undertaken concerning this vernacular house type, including research on those stylistic traits just mentioned, little if any research has been published concerning the architectural finishes of these distinct structures. This thesis aims to identify if a palette of distinctively Dutch paint colors for interior and exterior paints existed and was employed in the Dutch-American Stone Houses of Bergen County from 1740 to 1776; or, if the paint colors employed within these houses were part of a larger colonial trend.