A person described as a painter in two census and as a colour and oil man in an other. What sort of painter?

Question

An ancestor living in Portsmouth is called a pianter in two different census and as a colour an oil man in an other. His children were noted as a shoe maker, a painter, a sailor and a coach painter. Other children not noted in the census are agricultural labourers and domestic servants. Any idea's what sort of painter this ancestor could be? I am not sure that a coach painter would describe himself as a colour and oil man.

Answer 1

You're right - an oil and colourman would not necessarily be a coach painter, but there is nothing to have stopped your ancestor moving into this area.

An oil and colourman would have stocked and sold paint colours and the oils to mix the paints with.

There was one working in Hastings in the late 1800's (see link 1) and you can see that it was recognised occupation as it crops up in the "proceedings of The Old Bailey" (see link 2)

Answer 2

From what you say, I think he was a either a house painter, or painted things such as coaches and possibly ships, living as he did in Portsmouth. The census description would more than likely have been written by the census enumerator from what your ancestor told him. I think the use of the word 'oil' was your ancestor saying that he could do such things as oil ship's timbers, or perhaps varnish and grain front doors. I do not think he was an 'artist' type painter, partly due to the humble background of his relatives, and partly because I think he would have been described as such in the census