Michel–Eugène Chevreul and his colour classification system

Abstract

Michel–Eugène Chevreul (1786–1889) made major scientific contributions to the fields of chemistry and colour. Among other works, he invented a three-dimensional colour classification system, which he used to manufacture a colour atlas showing colour circles and monochrome lightness scales. We have investigated Chevreul's classification system in order to compare it to modern standards. We performed colorimetric measurements on the original Chevreul “Cercles chromatiques” atlas published in 1864, using a spectroradiometer. The “Cercles chromatiques” are approximately circular (in the a*, b* chromaticity diagram) and not centered. The lightness varies from one sample to another. Gaps or repetitions often occur in the sequence. In the “Gammes chromatiques,” hue angle is constant. Lightness cannot regularly vary on the full scale, because the purely pigmented sample is always at mid-position. Several indices suggest that different procedures may have been used in the production of the chromatic circles and the production of the linear scales of the whole classification system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Col Res Appl, 26, 20–24, 2001