Page:Journal of the Optical Society of America, volume 30, number 12.pdf/12

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582
DOROTHY NICKERSON

I. G. Priest, “Blue sky and white snow, a note on sensation and perception,” (Feb., 1926, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. and Rev. Sci. Inst. 13, 308A (1926).

I. G. Priest and K. S. Gibson, “Apparatus for the determination of the visibility of energy and the fundamental scales of visual psychophysics,” (Oct., 1926, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. and Rev. Sci. Inst. 14, 136A (1927).

E. P. T. Tyndall, “Sensibility to wavelength difference as a function of purity,” (Oct., 1926, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. and Rev. Sci. Inst. 14, 137A (1927); J. Opt. Soc. Am. 23, 15 (1933).

I. G. Priest and D. B. Judd, “Sensibility to wavelength difference and the precision of measurement of dominant wavelength for yellow colors of high saturation,” (Oct., 1926, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. and Rev. Sci. Inst. 14, 137A (1927).

A. E. O. Munsell and I. H. Godlove, ‘‘White glass photometric standards,”’ (Oct., 1928, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. and Rev. Sci. Inst. 18, 167A (1929). I. H. Godlove, “Standardization of Munsell colors,” (Feb., 1932, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. 22, 429A (1932).

I. H. Godlove, “Comparison of Cobb’s and Munsell Research Laboratory’s data on neutral value scales and equations describing them,” (Oct., 1933, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. 24, 55A (1934).

I. H. Godlove, ‘Color blending computations in psychological terms,” (Oct., 1934, Meeting), J. Opt. Soc. Am. 25, 44A (1935).

As may be seen from the titles, and as might be expected by those who knew Mr. Priest and Mr. Munsell, there was no narrow restriction regarding what might be carried on as Munsell supported investigations. Yet it may be seen that they all point to the development of needed information if the Munsell, or any other, color system were to be critically studied.

Among unpublished reports of Munsell-supported work at the Bureau of Standards are certain letters and reports made to the Munsell Laboratory, or to Mr. Munsell. The following three are the most important of these:

“Report on spectral reflectance of 70 representative colored cards from the Munsell color system,” Bur. Stand. Test No. 46045 (September 14, 1926).

“Derivation of the trilinear coordinates specifying the colors of constant saturation,” letter to Munsell Laboratory (April 13, 1927).

“Data on least perceptible purity, including Priest’s memorandum on ‘Relation between the Munsell chroma scale and the data of Priest and Brickwedde on least perceptible purity,” and notes by Judd on the memorandum, transmitted to Mr. Munsell, (May 9, 1927).

Although the work supported by the Munsell Laboratory at the Bureau of Standards covered a wide field, most of the work in the Baltimore laboratory was aimed more directly toward the collection, under controlled conditions, of sufficient data to enable the Munsell Research Laboratory to specify an improved series of papers to represent, even more adequately than the Atlas papers, a psychologically sound series of equally stepped scales of hue, value, and chroma.[1]

Experiments regarding value were prolonged and three partial reports of this work were later published in this Journal. ({{spl3|15|10|#b10}), ({{spl3|15|01|#b01}), ({{spl3|15|12|#b12}).

Although many experiments were made regarding chroma and hue scales, there is no published material. But there are available, as a result of this work, certain valuable papers made for special experiments: 100 equally stepped hues painted to represent constant value and chroma (at 5/5), 50 hues at maximum chroma, a series of 60-value papers closely stepped from black to white, and certain chroma scales of very small steppings.[2]

It may be of interest, and is important as a matter of record, to note that in addition to those already named as part of the Munsell staff, the following individuals have been employed at one time or another in the scientific work of the Munsell Research Laboratory.

In Baltimore

At the Bureau of Standards

Miriam E. O’Brien (Underhill),1924-25 Casper L. Cottrell
Louise L. Sloan (Rowland), 1925-26 Irwin G. Priest
Geraldine Walker (Haupt), 1925-27 Deane B. Judd
I. H. Godlove, 1926-33 F. K. Harris
Carl Boechner (part time 1925) F. G. Brickwedde
Prentice Reeves (summers of 1925, 1926) E. P. T. Tyndall
Willard L. Valentine (summer of 1926) W. Greenberg

In 1927 the investigative work came practically to a stop. Funds had been contributed up to that time, but the contributors felt that by this time some practical use should be made of the data. The research laboratory had obtained the data for a purpose: the company should now use it for this purpose. Therefore, a studied revision of the standard color papers was made, to follow essentially the newly derived scales—a

  1. His family, who supported the laboratory for this purpose, considered this “a goal consistently striven for by Mr. Munsell.”
  2. All measured by Granville, Nickerson and Foss, reference {{spl3|16|27|#b27}.