The coloring book has a longer and more interesting history than you might expect, stretching back nearly 150 years.
The 1880s: Educational Origins
The first coloring book, The Little Folks' Painting Book, was published by McLoughlin Brothers in the 1880s. These early books were explicitly educational tools, designed to teach children about art, nature, and the world.
Early 1900s: Richard Outcault and Characters
The first character-based coloring book featured Buster Brown, a popular comic strip character, in 1902. This established the template that continues today - licensed characters driving coloring book sales.
1930s-1960s: The Golden Age
The Great Depression and World War II saw coloring books boom as affordable entertainment. By the 1960s, they had become a staple of American childhood, with Disney, Barbie, and superhero themes dominating shelves.
The 1960s: Subversive Coloring
The counterculture era produced satirical coloring books for adults - political commentary disguised as children's entertainment. These planted the first seeds of the adult coloring movement.
2013-2016: The Adult Coloring Explosion
Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford published Secret Garden in 2013, and it sold over 10 million copies worldwide. By 2015, adult coloring books occupied 5 of the top 10 spots on Amazon's bestseller list. The category generated $450 million in sales in a single year.
Today: The Digital Era
The coloring world has evolved in two directions. Digital apps offer convenience and infinite colors, while the free printable movement has made physical coloring more accessible than ever. You no longer need to buy a $15 book - you can download and print exactly the pages you want, for free.
This is the philosophy behind Coloring Lane: the best coloring experience should be free and accessible to everyone. Explore our library of over 800 printable pages.