Author Wendy S. Walters Examines History of White Paint

In her new book A Dead White, Walters investigates the cultural and aesthetic history behind the ubiquity of white paint.

Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Interior Decorating

Author Wendy S. Walters Examines History of White Paint

Live Poll

Do you prefer walls painted in neutral white or in colors with more tone?

Wendy S. Walters, an associate professor at Columbia University, has published a book titled A Dead White that explores the history and cultural usage of white paint. The author researches design history to construct an argument against the aesthetic of absolutism she believes white paint represents.

Why it matters

Walters argues that white paint is used unconsciously in many spaces and seeks to understand her own passionate objection to its omnipresence. By examining physical spaces like art museums and hardware stores, she challenges the aesthetic assumptions surrounding the color.

Benjamin Moore offers 152 distinct shades of white paint to consumers. Meanwhile, Pantone has designated the shade Cloud Dancer as the 2026 color of the year.

The players

Wendy S. Walters

She is an associate professor of nonfiction writing at Columbia University.

Edward William Godwin

He was a Victorian-era architect and designer known for his aesthetic movement work.

Benjamin Moore

This is a prominent American manufacturer of paints and architectural coatings.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

This is a famous art museum in New York City known for its distinct architecture.

Pantone

This is a global corporation best known for its standardized color matching system.

The details

Walters analyzes the history of the color, noting that Bauhaus designers frequently used white paint in the 1920s. Her investigation spans from the Guggenheim museum, which uses the shade Dove Wing, to darker contexts including a 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo where white paint was used on a firearm.

In 1860, Edward William Godwin painted ceiling wallpaper with a creamy color.
White paint became synonymous with modernism during the 1920s.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened in 1959.
Wendy S. Walters co-curated a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition in 2022.
Pantone named Cloud Dancer the color of the year for 2026.

Culture Shift

The modern ubiquity of white interiors follows a pattern set by the Bauhaus school of design's 1920s architectural aesthetic, which championed functional simplicity. This book challenges that legacy by questioning the unconscious adoption of white in current design trends.

Readers may reconsider the color choices in their own homes after learning about the history of white paint. The book highlights how common hues, like those found in local hardware stores, carry deep aesthetic and cultural weight.

The takeaway

Design decisions often rely on unconscious color norms that have been reinforced over decades of modern architecture. Implementing change in your own living space can start by exploring the specific history and associations behind the paint colors you select.