The Munsell System of Color Notation

Abstract

Ridgway's color standards and color nomenclature has been the accepted reference for color description in biology since its publication in 1912, but this work has long been out of print and modern methods of color analysis show that the existing copies are no longer technically reliable (Illman and Hamly, 1948). Davis (1956) has recently discussed the need for a new color standard and the purpose of this paper is to examine some of the requirements of an adequate color standard with special reference to the Munsell System as a possible candidate.I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. W, N. Hale of the Munsell Color Company, Inc. for advice during the preparation of this manuscript. Color description in biological research falls into two general categories: (1) characterization of the typical or predominant color of a population and (2) detailed analysis of individual variation within a population. Since these two categories of color description have different technical requirements, methods which are suitable for one are not always suitable for the other. In taxonomic description, for example, one selects a sample of typical individuals from a population or series of populations and describes the color characters of a species or subspecies on the basis of this sample. Less commonly, a taxonomist may present descriptions of the extremes of observed variation and attempt to establish mean color and range of variation, but in either case his objective is usually a characterization that is typical for the population. Since this type of description consists mostly of approximate descriptions and does not stress subtle variations as a general rule, color characters are usually determined by comparing the specimens with a color chart system such as Ridgway's color standards (1912), the Maerz and Paul dictionary of color (1950), or the Villalobos atlas de …