Color Standards and Color Nomenclature: With fifty-three colored plates and eleven hundred and fifteen named colorsRidgway, Robert
Science
Color Standards and Color Nomenclature: With fifty-three colored plates and eleven hundred and fifteen named colors
Ridgway, Robert
Colors
In order to designate any color for which a satisfactory name cannot
be found, or one not represented on the plates, it is only necessary
to proceed as follows: Suppose the color in question is nearest 1 on
Plate I; say, for example, is intermediate in hue between 1 (spectrum
red) and 3 (scarlet-red), or in other words if represented in color its
position would be in the uncolored space designated as no. 2; and in
tone between the full color (middle horizontal line) and tint _b_. Its
designation, 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[16] "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 necessity 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 naturalists and others, and the preference for
color-names very greatly predominates; consequently, whenever it has
been possible to find a name which seems suitable for any color in
this work it has been done, leaving as few as possible unnamed, and
for these some other means must be devised for their designation. (See
page 8). The selection of appropriate names for the colors depicted on
the Plates has been in some cases a matter of considerable difficulty.
With regard to certain ones it may appear that the names adopted are
not entirely satisfactory; but, to forestall such criticism, it may be
explained that the purpose of these Plates is not to show the color
of the particular objects or substances which the names suggest, but
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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