Vintage Sherwin-Williams Small Metal CHAMELEON Antique

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Vintage Sherwin-Williams Small Metal CHAMELEON The chameleon was the first corporate symbol of Sherwin-Williams, predating the 1905 “cover the earth” logo by two decades. It has a curious history, according to the company: The first Sherwin-Williams logo was inspired by our first treasurer, Sereno Fenn, who was captivated by color-changing chameleons on a trip to China. The idea appealed to Henry Sherwin. In 1885, he decided to adopt the chameleon on a painter’s palette as our official logo. Some years later, the company adopted three live chameleons from India. One of them, Jack, posed for photos used to make illustrations. The Chameleon has been with us in one form or another ever since, lending its name to our first newsletter starting in 1897 and, most recently, our intranet, as of 1999. The chameleon was featured in advertising and promotions, and at least two chameleon paperweights were produced for Sherwin-Williams while the animal was used as the company’s logo. The smaller of the two, a chameleon standing on its own curled tail, is usually seen atop a flat oval plinth that represents a painter’s palette, with the names of cities in which S-W maintained factories inscribed around the base. This small chameleon is the one offered in this auction—but as I bought it, without the plinth. It is unmarked, but resembles the chameleons read more

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