Color Names. 9 



ored space designated as no. 2 ; and in tone between the 

 full color (middle horizontal line) and tint b. Its desig- 

 nation, therefore, is 2a. Exactly the same method 

 applies to any of the other blank spaces, as well as to 

 the colors themselves, except that in case of the broken 

 colors the "primes" (', ", '", "", or '"") are to be affixed 

 to the hue number. First locate the hue, designated by 

 number, then the tone, designated by lower case letter, 

 the full, pure colors of the middle horizontal row being 

 designated by number alone. 



Color Names.— While it is true that the naming 

 of colors as usually employed has so little to do with the 

 purely technical aspects of chromatology or color-physics 

 that, as Von Bezold remarks* "we are in reality dealing 

 with the peculiarities of language," it is equally true that 

 a collection of color standards designed expressly for the 

 purpose of identifying and designating particular colors 

 can best attain this object by the use of a carefully 

 selected nomenclature. In other words, the prime ne- 

 cessity is to standardize both colors and color names, by 

 elimination of the element of "personal equation" in the 

 matter. In no other way can agreement be reached as 

 to the distinction between "violet" and "purple," two 

 color names quite generally used interchangeably or 

 synonymously but in reality belonging to quite distinct 

 hues, or that any other color name can be definitely 

 fixed. Various methods of handling the matter of color 

 in zoological and botanical descriptions, etc., by the 

 avoidance of color names and substitution therefor of 

 symbols, numerals, or mechanical contrivances (as color- 

 wheel and spectrum analyses, color-spheres, etc.) have 

 been devised but all have been found impracticable or 

 unsatisfactory. The author has taken the trouble to get 

 an expression of opinion in this matter from many 



The Theory of Color (American edition, 1876), p. 99. 



