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Colour Invention

The document outlines the history of color usage and development from early natural pigments used by humans around 100,000 years ago to the invention of synthetic pigments like Egyptian blue and Prussian blue. It highlights key milestones such as Isaac Newton's color theory in 1666 and advancements in color photography in the late 19th century. Overall, it illustrates the evolution of color perception and application throughout human history.

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Harsh Vohera
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7 views2 pages

Colour Invention

The document outlines the history of color usage and development from early natural pigments used by humans around 100,000 years ago to the invention of synthetic pigments like Egyptian blue and Prussian blue. It highlights key milestones such as Isaac Newton's color theory in 1666 and advancements in color photography in the late 19th century. Overall, it illustrates the evolution of color perception and application throughout human history.

Uploaded by

Harsh Vohera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

Earliest Pigments (~100,000 years ago)

The first humans used natural pigments like ochre, charcoal, and minerals—found in Blombos
Cave, South Africa—to paint on bodies and cave walls. These organic and mineral dyes were the
foundation of coloured expression thoughtco.com+2earthdate.org+2sciencefocus.com+2.

🧪 2. Ancient Synthetic Colour (~3300 BC)

The Egyptians developed Egyptian blue, the world’s earliest known synthetic pigment. By
mixing sand, natron, and copper, heating them to high temperatures, and grinding the result,
they created a durable blue dye used extensively in art and architecture
exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu.

🌈 3. Formalizing Colour Theory (1666)

Isaac Newton revolutionized colour science by passing sunlight through a prism, revealing its
spectral components (red to violet) and arranging them in a colour wheel—a foundational tool
for understanding colour relationships
en.wikipedia.org+2museums.cam.ac.uk+2colorwithleo.com+2.

🎨 4. Colour in Art & Print (Early-1700s)

 In 1704, Prussian blue emerged accidentally in Berlin, introducing the first modern
synthetic dye—vibrant, non-toxic, and affordable compared to ultramarine
ngv.vic.gov.au.

 Around the same time, Jacob Christoph Le Blon pioneered three-colour printing using
red, yellow, and blue plates—a precursor to today’s colour printing
en.wikipedia.org+6en.wikipedia.org+6library.si.edu+6.

🧼5. Industrial Pigments & Colour Lexicons (19th Century)

 The 1800s saw breakthroughs in synthetic dyes: mauveine (first synthetic organic dye)
and Paris Green (an arsenic-based pigment), expanding the palette but occasionally with
toxic consequences .

 Colour naming grew richer too; trade and culture introduced new terms like orange,
pink, lilac, and magenta colorwithleo.com.
📸6. Colour Photography & Scientific Precision (Late 1800s–1900s)

 James Clerk Maxwell’s experiments in 1861 demonstrated the principle of additive


colour mixing (RGB).

 In 1891, Gabriel Lippmann invented a method for truly accurate colour photography,
earning a Nobel Prize
britannica.com+7scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk+7colour.photography+7en.wikipedia.
org.

✅ In Summary

Human engagement with colour evolved through stages:

1. Extracting pigments from natural sources,

2. Creating synthetic pigments (Eg., Egyptian blue, Prussian blue),

3. Unveiling the science of light and colour via prisms,

4. Establishing colour theory and print, and

5. Crafting vibrant industrial dyes and photographic colour.

This long journey—from cave ochres to digital screens—demonstrates our evolving mastery
over the ways we perceive and apply colour.

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