Patrick Syme (1774-1845)

This colour manual did two things: it provided accurate descriptions of colour for the naturalist’s reference, and created a standard palette for scientific illustration. Alongside colour swatches, the book lists examples of vegetable, animal, and mineral where the colour can be found in nature. Many naturalists used Syme’s Nomenclature as a reference book. This copy is Charles Darwin’s which he took with him on the Beagle voyage. Syme’s publication was an extended and improved version of Abraham Gottlob Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours.

DAR Lib 620