Book, Color Standards and Color Nomenclature

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Object Timeline

	We acquired this object.
1912	Work on this object began.
1970	We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2018	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2025	You found it!

Book, Color Standards and Color Nomenclature

This is a Book. It was written by Robert Ridgway and published by Robert Ridgway.

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Smithsonian Libraries and Archives as part of Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color.

It is dated 1912. Its medium is letterpress with collage on paper.

Robert Ridgeway was Smithsonian’s first curator of birds, and became interested in color as a means to identify different bird species. Frustrated with the inconsistencies in existing color standards, he spent twenty-five years developing an improved system. He adopted Milton Bradley’s color measurement techniques, using spinning colored disks to “scientifically” create his own color dictionary.

It is credited Smithsonian Libraries, QC495 .R54.