The American LaFrance decorations evolved as the truck bodies changed. All the different scrolls painted over the years were made from the same few leaf forms. The scrolls were built up from brush strokes, similar to how letters in calligraphy were formed.
The gold leaf scrolls have painted shadows added to make them look 3-dimentional. Fine lines and dots of white are added to enhance the carved appearance. In sunlight the white lines disappear on the reflecting gold. In shadows and indoors the lines highlight the details of the scroll. Small areas of green give an extra accent to some designs.
