The History of Color

This digital collection features a broad selection of materials related to the scientific study of color and the science and practice of dyeing and painting.

Take a colorful journey through more than 150 years of natural and synthetic dye-making.

From Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ to the internet’s great dress debate, our perception of the color blue has both fascinated and frustrated us.

With the accidental discovery in 1856 of the first commercialized synthetic dye, mauve, Perkin introduced a new era in the chemical industry.

The enduring appeal of tie-dye.

Interested in historical materials about color? Explore our museum and library collections!

Learn about the Navajo “Eye-Dazzler” in this interactive virtual museum program.

Encountering rare earths in art, environments, and the phone in my pocket.

In exile, Navajo created new designs for their rugs and blankets using the new synthetic dyes.

Many everyday items are described as “flesh” and “nude” in color. Whose skin color do they represent?

DuPont’s colorists were prophets of the color revolution, guiding corporations and consumers in choosing hues for everything from car fenders to countertops.

How cataracts nearly ruined the impressionist painter’s career—and then revived it by giving him an insect-like superpower.