A standardized colour vocabulary
Werner's system, expanded by Syme, assigns precise names to colours so observers describe specimens consistently. It solves the problem of subjective colour language before photography.
Werner's Nomenclature of Colours - Adapted to Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Anatomy, and the Arts
3 ideas
Colours anchored to real-world examples
Each named hue is tied to an animal, a plant, and a mineral instance for calibration. The concrete referents let distant observers agree on a colour.
The chart Darwin carried on the Beagle
Naturalists including Darwin used Syme's guide to record the colours of nature reliably in the field. It functioned as scientific instrumentation for description.