See more objects with the tag camouflage, complementary colors, color blind, color contrast.

Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

1936

  • Work on this object began.

1970

2018

2025

  • You found it!

Book, The Series of Plates Designed as Tests for Colour Blindness

This is a Book. It was designed by Shinobu Ishihara and published by Kanehara & Co..

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 1936. Its medium is offset lightograph on paper.

Red/green blindness is the most common color vision deficiency. On the top left, people with normal color vision see an 8, while those with red/green deficiency see a 3. People with red/green deficiency see a 45 on the top right, while those with full color vision see no figure. The lower left distinguishes between red and green blindness, with red-blind people seeing 6, green-blind 2, and normally sighted 26. On the lower right, the subject traces a meandering line rather than identifying a number. Again, the line is only visible to those with full color vision.

It is credited Smithsonian Libraries, RE921 .I75 1936X.

Its dimensions are

H x W (each plate): 12 × 12 cm (4 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.)

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1108749917/ |title=Book, The Series of Plates Designed as Tests for Colour Blindness |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=5 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>