Werner's Nomenclature of Colours

Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1814/1821) is an illustrated colour manual authored by Scottish botanical illustrator Patrick Syme.[1] Containing painted colour swatches, the book was based on the colour system compiled by mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner. First published in 1814, Werner's Nomenclature was used by Charles Darwin in his scientific observations on the voyage of HMS Beagle.[2][3][4] The publication was influential among nineteenth-century colour theorists, artists and decorators,[5] and can be viewed as a predecessor of modern named colour systems such as Pantone.[3] The colours are illustrated and described, and examples shown of their use in ornithological plates in The Anatomy of Colour by Patrick Baty.

References

  1. ^ Kate, Sierzputowski (2018-01-31). "Werner's Nomenclature of Colours: a Pre-Photographic Guide for Artists and Naturalists". Colossal. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  2. ^ Dixon, Joyce (2025-11-26). "Capturing colour on HMS Beagle: Charles Darwin and Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1821)". The British Journal for the History of Science: 1–24. doi:10.1017/S0007087425101726. ISSN 0007-0874.
  3. ^ a b St Clair, Kassia (February 5, 2018). "Before Pantone There Was Werner's Nomenclature of Colours | Architectural Digest". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  4. ^ Nijhuis, Michelle (January 27, 2018). "The Book That Colored Charles Darwin's World". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  5. ^ Dixon, Joyce. "On Colour and Taste: John Gardner Wilkinson and *Werner's Nomenclature of Colours*". chromobase.huma-num.fr. Retrieved 2026-01-02.


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