In the late 1970s and early ’80s, paint historian Matthew J. Mosca approached George Washington’s historic Virginia estate like a detective.

He used a scalpel to scrape tiny samples from Mount Vernon’s walls and woodwork, then studied them under a microscope, a spectroscope, and ultraviolet light. In all, he collected more than 2,000 cross-sections, some with as many as 22 layers of paint — and only two of those layers dated to Washington’s lifetime.

Many people expected the Washingtons to have chosen the muted, chalky tints common in the decorative style of the time, like those seen in the historic district of colonial Williamsburg. But years of added paint, plus centuries of dirt, fading, and chemical changes, had concealed the truth: As the magazine puts it, “Nondescript is out. Rainbow is in.”

Through the paint samples, retained records of Washington’s paint orders, and even a section of wall in the study behind a bookcase left untouched since Washington’s time, Mosca discovered the first president’s preferred color scheme to be more along the lines of bright blues, greens, and yellows.

With these findings, Mosca took on a two-year, $90,000 project to restore the home to its original colors. Now, more than 40 years later, the story is still a colorful reminder that history isn’t always as gray as we imagine. Sometimes it just needs a deeper look and a fresh coat of paint.

Read the story via the Ford Times archive, October 1982. Browse more at FordHeritageVault.com.