Some colors history

Isaac Newton made a study of color starting at the age of 23 in 1666 and developed the useful Newton color circle which gives insight about complementary colors and additive color mixing. He realized that some colors (magenta, purple) could not be produced as spectral colors. One of his contributions was the idea that white light is light containing all wavelengths of the visible spectrum. He demonstrated this fact with experiments on the dispersion of light in glass prisms.

Thomas Young is credited with suggesting that the eye has three different kinds of color receptors, corresponding roughly with the red, green, and blue primary colors which had been found useful in matching a wide range of visual colors by additive color mixing. This idea was put on a more quantitative basis by Hermann von Helmholtz and is sometimes called the Young-Helmholtz theory.

Detailed experiments carried out in the 1920s showed that the RGB primaries could indeed match all visual colors within a certain range called a gamut, but that they could not match all the spectral colors, particularly in the green range. It was found that if a certain amount of red light was added to the color being matched, then all colors could be matched. The quantitative results were expressed in terms of tristimulus values for the RGB primaries, but it was necessary to allow negative values for the red tristimulus values in order to match all colors.

In 1931 the Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) moved to define a standard system in which all the tristimulus values would be positive and in which all visible colors could be unambiguously represented by two chromaticity coordinates x,y. Mapping the visual colors led to the now familiar horseshoe curve in the x,y plane known as the CIE chromaticity diagram. It is the basis for most quantitative color measurement at present.

It was not until about 1965 that the detailed physiological experiments were performed to measure the absorption of the different types of cones in the eye. Those experiments verified the postulate of Young that there were indeed three types of cones.

It would seem that we could now use something similar to the response curves of the three types of cones as color matching functions, but the CIE curves are well established as the standard curves. There are some strange things about the 1931 CIE standard chromaticity diagram. As Fortner and Meyer point out, it "devotes an enormous amount of real estate to various green shades" and less space to colors like the reds and purples which are more differentiable to the eye. In 1976, a new CIE standard was released which corrected some of those problems and produced a diagram where the distance between two points on the diagram was proportional to the perceived color difference. However, this 1976 CIE standard has failed to gain acceptance, and the 1931 CIE is almost universally used.

Colors and their significance

The world of natural color around us is enhanced by the use of dyes. Color is an expression of "feeling" and can affect our emotions. The colors we surround ourselves with, create certain feelings in us and for others, especially their perception of us. But what they really mean? What's their history? Let's find out!

Violet/Purple


Historical Significance
Widows used to wear purple to mourn their husbands’ death in Thailand;
To obtain one ounce of Tyrian purple dye, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra asked her servants to soak 20,000 purpura snails for 10 days;
Richard Wagner composed his operas in room with violet shades; violet is his color of inspiration;
Leonardo Da Vinci believed the power of meditation increases when done in violet or purple light (light of stained glass);
Present Significance
Purple is the royal color and is symbolic to luxury and sophistication;
According to color theory the purple color in children’s room can help improve their imagination;
It is feminine and romantic;
A purple heart is a decoration for the soldiers killed or wounded in a battle by US Military.

Blue


Historical Significance
The Pharaohs of Egypt used to wear blue for protection against evil;
Blue is the color of mourning in Iran;
In ancient Rome public servants used to wear blue.
Present Significance
Blue relaxes the body, so it is often used in bed rooms;
It symbolizes loyalty, hence wearing blue is recommended by experts for interviews;
Studies show that weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms. This is because people are more productive in blue rooms.

Green


Historical Significance
Green is the national color of Ireland;
In Scotland, people used to wear green as a mark of honor;
People in ancient Egypt used to color the floors of their temples green;
In ancient Greece, green was symbolic to victory;
Brides in the Middle Ages used to wear green to symbolize fertility.
Present Significance
Green is the healing color and relaxes patients. Hence hospitals often use this color.
It is a refreshing color and can improve vision.

Yellow


Historical Significance
In Japan during the war of dynasty each warrior wore a yellow chrysanthemum as a pledge of courage;
In Egypt and Burma yellow is the color of mourning;
In India yellow is the divine color;
In ancient France the doors of criminals were painted yellow;
Actors of Middle Ages used to wear yellow to represent the dead in a play.
Present Significance
Yellow enhances concentration and speeds up metabolism;
People lose their tempers more often in yellow color rooms and it is the most difficult color for the eye to take in.

Red


Historical Significance
Red was the color of House of Lancester, which defeated the House of York (white color) in English war of the Roses;
The soldiers of the Italian leader Garibaldi, who unified modern Italy, were called as the Red shirts;
Red flag was the symbol for battle for ancient Romans;
In China, red is the wedding and holiday color and also a color of good luck;
Ancient Egyptians used to paint their body with red dye for emphasis;
The Bolsheviks used red flag as their symbol in 19th century when they overthrew the czar;
Red is the color of mourning in South Africa.
Present Significance
Red is the color of love;
It is the most emotionally intense color;
It stimulates faster heartbeat and breathing.

Black


Historical Significance
In ancient Egypt people used to believe that black cats had divine powers;
Black was the color of mourning for ancient Romans and Egyptians;
The security troops in Hitler’s German army were known as black shirts.
Present Significance
Black is the color of authority;
It implies submission; hence priests wear black to signify submission to God;
It makes people appear thinner for which it became popular color in fashion.

White

Historical Significance
White is the color of mourning in China and Japan;
The people of ancient Persia used to believe that all Gods wore white;
The Egyptian Pharaohs used to wear white crowns;
White flag is the universal symbol for truce;
The ancient Greeks used to wear white cloths to bed to get pleasant dreams.
Present Significance
White reflects light, so people wear white in summer;
Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity; it is considered as good luck to be married in white clothes;
White goes well with most colors, so became popular in fashion;
Doctors and nurses wear white to symbolize sterility.