The Nineteenth-Century Science of Fashion
Victorian-era color theory moved from labs and studios into women’s magazines—and into everyday decisions about dress.
How Do You Like Your Steak? Rare, Medium, or Bright Blue?
In 1973, an experiment with dyed food and colorful lights had participants vomiting up their half-finished meals. But did it really happen?
Colorful Lights to Cure What Ails You
Between 1920 and the 1960s, tens of thousands of people received treatment with a Spectro-Chrome to address various ailments.
How Rocks and Minerals Play with Light to Produce Breathtaking Colors
Rocks and minerals don’t simply reflect light. They play with it and interact with light as both a wave and a particle.
Elements of Design: Spotlight on Color
Color, like line, shape, texture, and the other elements of art and design, communicates meaning and creates visually compelling experiences. Here's how.
How American Consumers Embraced Color
Vivid hues in everyday products became eye-popping reality in the early twentieth century.
The Buggy Truth about Natural Red Dye
The slightly disgusting secret ingredient that has historically made food dye, lipstick, and even the cloaks of Roman Catholic cardinals so vibrant.
Green Birds Aren’t Really Green
Some of the most dazzling coloration you see in birds doesn’t actually exist.