See more objects with the tag color system, secondary colors, color wheel, primary color.

Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

-0001

1933

  • Work on this object began.

1943

  • Work on this object ended.

2018

2025

  • You found it!

Book, The Practical Wilson Colour System

This is a Book. It was written by Robert Francis Wilson.

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 ca. 1938. Its medium is lithograph with collage on paper.

After prolonged exposure to a single stimulus, our eyes create an optical illusion called after-image. This color wheel consists of standard hues on the outer circle with their complementary after-image colors on the inner circle. The complementary nature of the resulting colors lends support to the opponent process theory of color vision.

It is credited Smithsonian Libraries, ND1285 .W53X.

Its dimensions are

H x W (open): 23.5 × 32 cm (9 1/4 × 12 5/8 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/1108749973/ |title=Book, The Practical Wilson Colour System |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=6 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>