Explore an Interactive, Online Version of Werner's ...

In a post earlier this year, we brought to your attention Werner's Nomenclature of Colours. Used by artists and naturalists alike, the guide ... OnlineCourses Certificates Degrees&Mini-Degrees AudioBooks Movies Podcasts K-12 eBooks Languages Donate ExploreanInteractive,OnlineVersionofWerner’sNomenclatureofColours,a200-Year-OldGuidetotheColorsoftheNaturalWorld inArt,Biology,Books,Science| September27th,20181Comment 989SHARESFacebookTwitterRedditSubscribeGoogleWhatsappPinterestDiggLinkedinStumbleuponVkPrintDeliciousBufferPocketXingTumblrMailYummlyTelegramFlipboard Inapostearlierthisyear,webroughttoyourattentionWerner’sNomenclatureofColours.Usedbyartistsandnaturalistsalike,theguideoriginallyreliedonwrittendescriptionalone,withoutanycolortobefoundamongitspages.Instead,inthelateeighteenthcentury,GermanmineralogistAbrahamGottlobWernerpainstakinglydetailedthequalitiesofthe110colorshesurveyed,byreferencetowheretheymightbefoundonanimals,vegetables,andminerals.Thecolor“PearlGray,”forexample,mightbelocatedonthe“BacksofblackheadedandKittwakeGulls,”the“BackofPetalsofPurpleHetatica,”oron“PorcelainJasper.” Theliterarypossibilitiesofthisapproachmayseemvast.Butitsusefulnesstothoseengagedinthevisualarts—orincloseobservationofnewspeciesin,say,theGalapagosIslands—mayhavebeensomewhatlackinguntilScottishpainterPatrickSymeupdatedtheguidein1814withcolorswatches,mostofthemusingtheverymineralsWernerdescribed. ItwasthesecondeditionofSyme’sguidethataccompaniedCharlesDarwinonhis1831voyageaboardtheHMSBeagle,wherehe“usedittocataloguethefloraandfaunathatlaterinspiredhistheoryofnaturalselection,”ashistorianDanielLewiswritesatSmithsonian. Whilewemightthinkoftaxonomiesofcolorasprincipallyguidingartists,webdesigners,andhousepainters,theyhavebeenindispensableforscientists.“Theycanindicatewhenaplantoranimalisadifferentspeciesorasubspecies,”Lewisnotes;“inthe19thcentury,theuseofcolortodifferentiatespecieswasimportantforwhatitsaidaboutevolutionandhowspecieschangedovertimeandfromregiontoregion.”Forhistoriansofscience,therefore,Werner’sNomenclatureofColours representsanessentialtoolintheearlydevelopmentofevolutionarybiology. Othercolordictionariesfollowed,“designedtogivepeoplearoundtheworldacommonvocabularytodescribethecolorsofeverythingfromrocksandflowerstostars,birds,andpostagestamps.”Someofthesewerehighlyspecialized,suchasthetwo-volumesetcreatedbytheFrenchSocietyofChrysanthemistsin1905.Allofthem,however,strovetomeetthehighbarsetbyWernerwhenitcametolevelofdetaileddescription.Theseareguidesthatspeakinhumanterms,incontrasttothenomenclaturemostoftenusedtoday,which“isreallyamachinelanguage,”KelseyCambell-DollaghanwritesatFastCompany,“numericalhexcodescraftedtocommunicatewithsoftwareoncomputersandprinters.” InrecognitionofWernerandSyme’scontributiontocolornomenclature,SmithsonianBooksrecentlyrepublishedthe1814editionoftheirguide,andtherevised1821editionhasbeenavailableforsometimeasscansattheInternetArchive.Nowithasreceiveda21stupdatethankstodesignerNicholasRougeux,whohascreatedanonlineinteractiveversionofthebook,“withadditionslikedatavisualizationsofits100colorsandinternet-sourcedphotographsoftheanimalsandmineralsthatthebookreferences”—afeatureitscreatorscouldneverhavedreamedof.YoucanreadWerner’scompletetext,seeallofthecolorsasillustratedandcategorizedbySyme,andevenpurchasethroughRougeux’ssitecool36”x24”posterslikethatabove,startingat$27.80. It’strue,viewingthebookonlinehasitsdrawbacks,relatedtohowSyme’spaintswatchesaretranslatedintohexcodes,thendisplayeddifferentlydependingonvariousscreensettings.ButRougeuxhastriedtocompensateforthisdifferencebetweenprintandscreen.OnapubliclyaccessibleGoogleDoc,hehasprovidedthehexcodes“foreachofthe18th-centuryhues,fromSkimmedMilk(#e6e1c9)toVeinousBloodRed(#3f3033).”NotnearlyaspoeticasWerner’sdescriptions,butit’swhatwehavetoworkwiththesedayswhenreferencebooksgetwrittenforcomputersasmuchastheydoforhumans. Seetheinteractive Werner’sNomenclatureofColours here. via FastCompany RelatedContent: Werner’sNomenclatureofColour,the19th-Century“ColorDictionary”UsedbyCharlesDarwin(1814) Goethe’sColorful&AbstractIllustrationsforHis1810Treatise,TheoryofColors:ScansoftheFirstEdition TheVibrantColorWheelsDesignedbyGoethe,Newton&OtherTheoristsofColor(1665-1810) JoshJones isawriterandmusicianbasedinDurham,NC.Followhimat @jdmagness 989SHARESFacebookTwitterRedditSubscribeGoogleWhatsappPinterestDiggLinkedinStumbleuponVkPrintDeliciousBufferPocketXingTumblrMailYummlyTelegramFlipboard byJoshJones|Permalink|Comments(1)| SupportOpenCulture We’rehopingtorelyonourloyalreadersratherthanerraticads.TosupportOpenCulture’seducationalmission,pleaseconsidermakingadonation.WeacceptPayPal,Venmo(@openculture),PatreonandCrypto!Pleasefindalloptionshere.Wethankyou! Comments(1) Youcanskiptotheendandleavearesponse.Pingingiscurrentlynotallowed. scyrenesays: September28,2018at8:41am Thisislovely,butit’sworthpointingoutthatthephotographontheleftisared-crestedpochard,nota(common)pochardwhichIassumewasintended,astheyhavesomewhatdifferentbreastcolours(theformerisblack,nottheshadeofbrownreferredto). Reply LeaveaReply Name(required) Email(required) Message Clickheretocancelreply. Δ Essentials 1,700FreeOnlineCourses 200OnlineCertificatePrograms 100+OnlineDegree&Mini-DegreePrograms 1,150FreeMovies 1,000FreeAudioBooks 150+BestPodcasts 800FreeeBooks 200FreeTextbooks 300FreeLanguageLessons 150FreeBusinessCourses FreeK-12Education GetOurDailyEmail SupportUs We'rehopingtorelyonloyalreaders,ratherthanerraticads.PleaseclicktheDonatebuttonandsupportOpenCulture.YoucanusePaypal,Venmo,Patreon,evenCrypto!Wethankyou! 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