The blue guns at Williamsburg originate from this quote, a recollection that was written down some half century after the event: "they repaired to the magazine and armed themselves with blue painted stock guns kept for the purpose of distributing among the Indians". I am not sure enough care was taken in the interpretation of this. There are no trade ledgers, inventories, etc, anywhere that mention blue painted guns. No painting, watercolors, etc of natives show them with guns colored any other way than natural wood - with the exception of few "vine painted" examples. Is "blue" mentioned in reference to 18th century guns procured for the trade in North America? Yes, and often - in regards to the barrel finish. So many dozen with four foot barrels, bright, or "white" and so many dozen, "blue". There is a very good chance that this "Blue" in the description of the guns referred to their bright blue BARRELS as opposed to the bright finish of military muskets. "Painted" might mean a very reddish varnish on the presumably cheap beechwood stocks, or possibly grain painted to look like better wood, or, perhaps painted with designs on a natural wood colored background. Some ledgers mention "mottled stocks" - just what that is, fake grain painting, I don't know. But - my point is, there are absolutely no references, no documentation, from the 18th century about trade guns whose stocks are painted blue. None. Just one remembrance from the 19th century, which is open to more than one interpretation. I wonder if those same guns had been made of poorly seasoned wood, and the fellow said "we took those cheap trade guns with the green wooden stocks" - would the folks at Williamsburg have painted them green instead?
Yet off they run, in haste to paint guns blue.....and what color of blue anyway? It can be anything from pastel duck egg blue to almost black. Since there are no mention of blue PAINT on gunstocks whatsoever from the 18th century, nor written records of what shade were preferred, nor paintings made of savages with blue painted gunstocks - why, any shade is okay - can't prove it one way or the other.
Ive got no problems with painting a sea service musket black. Lots of documentation for that....but a trade gun, painted blue? None, from the 18th century. Blued barrels, yes. I wonder if that possibility was even considered by the gun painters?
