The history of crayon is not entirely clear. The word "crayon" is first recorded in Webster's Dictionary in 1644 A.D., coming from (chalk) and the Latin word creta also meaning (Earth). Contemporary crayons are purported to have originated in Europe where some of the first cylinder shaped crayons were made with charcoal and oil. Pastels are an art medium having roots with the modern crayon and stem back to Leonardo da Vinci in 1495. Conte' crayons, out of Paris, are a hybrid between a pastel and a conventional crayon; used since the late 1790's as a drawing crayon for artists. Later,various hues of powered pigment eventually replaced the primary charcoal ingredient found in most early 19th century product.
The notion to combine a form of wax with pigment actually goes back thousands of years. The Egyptians perfected a technique using hot beeswax combined with colored pigment to bind color into stone in a process known as encaustic painting. A heat source was then used to "burn in" and fix the image in place. This method, also employed by the Romans, the Greeks and even indigenous people in the Philippines around 1600-1800, is still used today.
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