[August 22, 1895 



39c 



Scheme of Colour Standards. 



T„EConfusionwhichha..on.M;r-i>^^^^^^^^^^ 



any immediate ^'^Pl'^^'?""' ^'„';t ofany definite standards of 

 inerilable consequence of the absemreo^a)^^^.^^^^ ^^^ 



colour. In music »"^ /""TJ^I ^ ,' ^nse perceptions, and .t 

 satisfactory terms to de:A:nlK: detait. ^ ^ ^ ^^.■,^^ ,hem ; 

 would be difficult to conceive ^^ \ «S^°7^ . ^^ll-defined con- 

 but for colour l«'"P"""V;;^; ^.."or^^ll itablished, nor any 

 cepts for those terms «hich ^^'■^^'J'-^^^^^^, lerms for common 

 delfinite and well-arranged => ^ .^"^ °' j"^;, , ^ ^n,ewhal definite 

 use. Those lerms «.hf J^^^, f„',''"' ery wide range of vana- 

 significance are nevertheless »^' '°' * ' j^J.-hJch have been used 

 tSn. Vermilion and ultramarine, ternis «">'^ f anything 



by many of our best -"^^onties on colou^ fo^^ w ant ^^^,J^^^^^^ 

 litter, L a l>asU for comi>anson »"<\.^"*'ji^;,,„ce l«;tween a 

 ^ for very variable ^"""l''^-- Ji^^^nsts very noticeable. 

 Chine* and a German verm.l on in pigment >^^ .. ^^^^^^^ 



WVinsor and Newion" chrome yellow ana a ^^^^^, 



yellow-' differ by more than '^f^Vms a 'sTui greater variation 

 ktnong several --I^- "^ ^^^ ^ZT^ Lch t-ms, what shall 

 is generally fo""d- . ^^]^ '^^Vthat very much larger group of 

 we expect will be the case "»n ^^ ^ considerable degree 



terms whose meaning has. nev e reached any „,o,e vague 



! 



^ olive, citrine, russet, .Vc, ° ""^„X „;age, Uke 



b^r^nutnerablecU^. ^,X^-;?^^^::^'^lcoc. 



"Ix^.") •„ J^->u„l. .'.f n,h«s still more vague and 



" — — ■ , _.vi.iv,i,vhlae asnesoiio>ti., , 



,,r'f'hurr^.ui;" an^aCt'of others still more vague and 



'-i^s. have been at^^ ^« ^Z^l^'^^^ 

 the lack of any agreement in the use o^ cm ^^^ 



entomological and . "'"'^'^"f °? ^^f 'J^^J fs sometimes confusing 

 American ^ulhonty m de^ni^J^^J^''^^ ^., ,^,k of any standard 



ornithologist. ,„ctheinconveniencc has, if possible. 



In applied science and the arts h.. neon interested 



l^en ''i"g'-»\"''"^^";"^^eniencer=teadily increasing as the 

 is larger. .Vnd this '"Convenience s _u j brilliant, 



,cveUtions of chemistry <''«='°>^,^"\l,'",^^ed. With the rapid 



for which new names are =^;^^°^^^;"„'^>,e«Uy o^ '"'"'^ ■"^■'''"' 

 advance of the art of 'lyemg the "^«^ i,„perative. 

 colour nomenclature >'<=,<="7" 7 .^^^h" contributed greatly to 

 The valuable research °f »,''';• '^^'^"J^e when much less was 

 our knowledge of colour, and that in ^^'m^ « .^^tributions of 

 known on the subject than now^Th^'-^^; ^^1^^,^,^ ^j^;. 

 Abney and Church in tngland ha^e 'i^^,/^,,,^, „f Chevreul, 



subject. ^ . .__„ ... greatest help to our under- 1 



liut while these have B';';" ''^' f ^f'folour, none of them 

 standing of the "=«'."'' »'V';;',"„\\"^eL"' "««• W"''='' =''■ ^'\ 

 !^.r:? X^''rmVnd':- Sei offered, nor any set of 



about twelve years since while connec ^ ^^ ^^j 



Ma-ssachusetLs, High SchrK, , as teacher ^ J^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ „f 

 „>,U«-, that a series of ^^°"/^j^'?,f ^'t'n.sensus of colour ex- 

 the M.lar spectrum, ^""^ f '^f^" „n,,ation of all our colour 

 pcrts, should 1m: -'7?'fi,t'*„^i„;"uducational work be made 



work, and '--^r"t">',.'^*' 'l"^Uer and more accurate know- 

 Ihe means "f esUbli.hing '''*"/ receivcl with favour 

 ledge of colour. This P'"!"'^" '"" "^.;^^"-„,entioned, and an 

 from the first by those to -^^o"^;^;,:; ^Tnto material form ; 



=rth^:rr:Scrr ^^^i^^- -'>■ '"''^- ^-'^^ 



wa* made for several vraR. established the fact that 



r,,. W.V.. '-'•^:!^H^:r.Xtr^ -ve-length in^ ;He 



; „„,,ingc u,..n the human retina »"<' P'^ct 



' . ',11 white light. ^>''■" ^hese we ma> select 



,^, an,l giving it a name, have a colour 



.y musical note or geometrical [■""<• Ti,,e 



ie^iraUhtyo. .uch . deLitenes, in the terms which describe 



colour, all will immediately recogms^. J'^ ,^° ^IJ^^^ J>„ade 

 a large number of thus accurate fixe! col ^^^^^ ^^^ 



the basis of colour ^^^'^'^^'^^'Zli^^^^^^ry ^ycL<^.^o.v^'"' 

 distinguish between the colours selectecl ^J^"= > j^ j ^„^^^,^ i„ 



unlessSt be colour-blind, d.stmgu.sh six -^^^^^„,^,^ „,„es. 



the solar s,x-ctrum, for *h.ch there arc^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^ues 



The theory of three primary colours from wn ^.^^^^ ^^.^^^ ^^^ 



of the s,«ctrum are derived >"°'"^„S,\\he always question- 

 present knowledge of the l^"'^ '' 'f '; ,'^",,Jnised as one of the 

 Lble indigo of the rainbow '^^^ '^^S^^/ ,'^f''^,e.ical convenience , 



;!-^t^^t^^s:l^:^nVpc^-s^ectrumcolours. , 



in the use of colours as to exactly "^^ -«' ^^.,,„ed 'for each 

 spectrum of eight or ten f^« '°"eX,han would first have been ; 



sUdard was a "^"f'^^^tTveVgre^t ""»"'""'>• ''^ J'^^^mcnt ; 



;^t=;:^'j:f^aonf^-^.-'^''"'-"^"^'^="'^°' . r 



the proi>osed scheme. .• „ „r .u,, ,rea must be determined 



fU of all the e-act location o the area „^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ 



bv careful measurement of the « as eienM standard in 



w'ould make it possible l^^rnmert^ representation of the 

 any part of the wor Id without any " » f ^^i^^.^" .^ible the use ot 

 colUr designated : in "'^er word^, ^h^ ^^-^ \^.^.^^, ,,,„,ards. 

 the designated colour as one of a ser es _^^_,,^„^„, ,„,, „.ule 

 To render any set of ,^^^"''.f '^ "^jopted by somebody whose 

 value, it is desirable that it be .^^'"P''' ^ e of sland.uds 

 ::thoVity will be general^ recogm-^J^^^^^ ,„ ,„„ 



of measurement, the (-""-^f "'".";"' , ,„^,5t ^.iher rases some 

 interests of commerce and equ t> ^n m ^^^ .^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ 



learned society adopts <he stan^^. -«' ^^^,^^ ^^^^.^^^. , 



of its own authority. The .Vmerica t.^^ ^ jccommenda- 



appointed a committee with mst u~; ^^^^ The endorse- 

 tion for the establishment " J'^ f.^^, „,„,, ,he establishment of i 

 „,ent of such a ^'f-'V "■""';',^ „" X scheme be a practical 

 rnr'^'~t~:m'S'-Pticabilityno authority could 



involved, especially ',>^^-;f;"'^.,:,a^iy particular pigment as 

 another, it was found '^tt" select )J^ .^^^.,f ,^, ^ 



one of the standards, •"«> "^^^ ^^^ifo ,„„ unpracticable. The 



as a standard, was not only "";^''-";'" ^i^al or artistic purposes. 

 standardsifselectedw;.thav lew toptac ^_^^_^ ^^^ ^ 



and most of all with ''^V;iT;ftooneano hernot unlike those of 

 tional value, must '«••?' ^ '•^'"V''," "",le at least that the union of 

 ,he musical scale It /""^i^Vrne mediate hues of the solar 

 these standards should l^ '»^S' l'^ .^f^^., „„,ch care six .standards 

 spectrum in colour if not in pur tj -^ ' , ^^^. This was as 



were selected and at once put _ P"^"^ f ^,,^. wavelengths of 

 early as .884. The exact '""j'^ ^-v for lune 9. .893- The 

 thesUtandardswerepubhshe i';';^ ^ ,,^a„g, 6085. 



values there given were - /■;»^;7,:,:,e, ,,{'o,\. ten-milhonths 



yellow 5793. S^een 5164. I>l"i- 4oyS' 



of a millimetre. f .,„ area of the solar 



These measuremen s ■"<= for tl e ce^''^ ^,„i„. a measure- 

 spectrum represente.1 by f'f^) "f J ^"^ ^,' ,„,^y or twenty;hvc 

 ment .Ufiering from ^''thcr °f these b> ,>^. ,„ ,he trained 



would hardly vary to a j j^K " '" ^'■^•h'.re'is. however, a very 

 eye, much less to the ordinary e>e.iner ^^^ ^ 



gUt variation in different P" ^ ^.'^^.^ '^'^ ^u,er rapid, a small 

 fellow, and green, " ^".^■, ';^„^^;^ ,hile in the re<l as well M 



""^^l%.iUon Uradley, ^'^^^t^ ^'^^"^^ 

 great credit for f-st, undertaking t-put'hi^^.^^^ ^^_^ .^^^ 



standards '"'" F''""' I r'^-lv engage in the manufacture of 

 first nroixised he was l"'?'-!) , "•"''"^''^ ' _„,i he at once under- 

 c:Li;ed'pa,>ers f--r;'.l»ca..ona purj-so ^^^^^,,^^^ „. 



took to reproduce the '^P'"-'^'"'"" ' ' ", .(Uaing the great advance 

 The task proved ""'-■'^^>' ""''•■ "'"l^.s had made in the pro- 

 which the discovery of the »"' \;'^> "; „,^, „i,„ the utmost pet- 

 .luction of brilliant co ours. It a^ ^^"^/^„ Hsh the task which 



sistency that Mr »"' '"--yXrn Af er kmg ind repeate.l expert- 

 he had voluntarily undertaken. Alter r b 



■ II..; ". 



NO. 1347. VOL. 52 J 



