Sun (high in sky) White.
Sun (near horizon) Orange red.
Sky light Bluish white.
Electric arc (short) White.
Electric arc (long) Bluish white to violet.
Nernst lamp White.
Incandescent (normal) Yellow-white.
Incandescent (below voltage) Orange to orange-red.
Acetyline flame Nearly white.
Welsbach light Greenish white.
Gaslight (Siemens burner) Nearly white, faint yellow tinge.
Gaslight (ordinary) Yellowish white to pale orange.
Kerosene lamp Yellowish white to pale orange.
Candle Orange yellow.
#ARTIFICIAL LIGHT APPLICATION#
153. The introduction of light by the medium of a wire, which may be
carried to any point in a room, encourages so many possibilities for
comfort and effect that it behooves us to forget traditional customs
which were established during the gaslight period. The introduction of
gaslight through tubes was a rather complex problem, and the carrying of
the pipes into the room through a main chandelier was the most
advisable constructive form. But we have no need for such cumbersome
fixtures in this day of wiring.
A mere cord takes the place of an inch pipe. Modern German and Austrian
lighting fixtures frequently are mere pendants, with the cord frankly in
evidence. In this way the lights may be placed wherever needed--at the
head of the lounge, so one may read more clearly by it; close by the
piano; over the tea-table. In fact, supplementary lights to the general
illumination are a convenience that the decorator should consider.
154. The lighting of a house is a matter so dependent upon aesthetic
conditions that it is never within the scope of the electrician. It is a
problem for a decorator alone to solve. Intense and glaring lights of
unusual power must be avoided. Luminants of low intrinsic brilliancy are
preferable.
155. The floor is the least important surface for illumination, and has
no reflecting power of value. The walls vary in value according to their
color and surface. With lights radiating upward, however, the ceiling
possesses definite power, and should be considered.
156. Dark colors absorb light, while white and light colors reflect, and
this must always be remembered; for upon the character of the
decorations and furnishings of various rooms the quantity as well as the
quality of light has serious influence.
#POWER NECESSARY#
157. While the list which we give herewith is based largely upon area,
it may be taken as a basis of calculation for lighting equipment.
It is estimated that 300 square feet of a hallway requires four
sixteen-candlepower, or eight eight-candlepower units.
In a room 20 x 20 feet, with furnishings of mahogany and green, broken
up by bookcases and other furniture producing heavy shadows, it is
estimated that twelve eight-candlepower lights are sufficient if worked
into the frieze, and that a reading lamp of not less than
thirty-two-candlepower be used as a drop light.
Assuming a room is 15 x 15 feet, and furnished in light tones, four
eight-candlepower lamps are ample.
A living-room 20 x 25 feet, in light tones of color, requires two
thirty-two-candlepower lights, centrally located, and about twelve
eight-candlepower lights. This should provide brilliant illumination.
A room 15 x 20 feet, in dark wood and hangings, needs eight
eight-candlepower reflector lamps, backed up by six more
eight-candlepower lamps.
Bedrooms 15 x 15 feet in size, where they are not furnished in deep
colors, should be equipped with two sixteen-candlepower lights.
#COLOR CONTROL#
158. Mechanical lighting is so easily undertaken that it predisposes one
to extravagance. Properly applied, artificial light adds materially to
the charm of a room, but with illumination secured by the mere twist of
the wrist one is prone to ignore the value of shadows and kill the
beauty of light and shade by throwing illumination into the remotest
corners. The danger to good decoration is not only in overlighting, but
in overdecorating, and commercialism naturally encourages this tendency.
The floor is frequently best treated if not entirely covered with a
one-pattern treatment; the walls are frequently most pleasing if done in
several papers instead of one. The most effective room is the one
lighted in various degrees of strength, and while the decorator
unconsciously follows this idea and avoids superabundance of pattern by
using panels, friezes and wainscotings, we believe that each and every
section or part of a room should be treated separately, observing, of
course, a consistent spirit of design, preserving the period style and
the general color effect; we would vary the actual shade of coloring and
the size of pattern according to the dimensions of the wall space it
occupies. The large patterns and the strong colorings which may be
appropriate to an exposed wall are all out of proportion in narrow or
darkened confines. Dark and deep recesses should obviously be treated
differently to advanced or conspicuous spaces.
159. At a recent meeting of the Illuminating Engineering Society, D.
McFarlan Moore made the following observations: "A few years ago there
was practically no way of changing the colors of the various forms of
lamps, that is, the candle had its color perforce; such a thing as
modifying it was not dreamed of. The oil lamp had its color; the open
burner gas flame its color, the incandescent lamp its color, and the
arc lamp its color. At the present time there are only two ways widely
in use of varying the color; that is, if a person wishes to have a light
of a different color, there are two main ways of getting it. One way is
to get another light source, and the other way is to use a diffusion
globe of some kind, which in any instance is extremely unscientific and
inefficient. Some of the most recent advances in this line are connected
with the flaming arc lamp. There we have an instance where the first
step, at least, was taken toward scientifically controlling the color
value. I refer to placing different chemicals in the carbon and thereby
obtaining a color which can, to a very great extent, be determined
previously. But still it by no means can be said that by means of the
flaming arc lamp the color factor is under perfect control. However, it
is possible now to have the color value under perfect control, and this
is obtained by utilizing a vacuum tube, and by changing the various
gases used in the tube to change the color. This has many advantages,
and from a scientific standpoint it cannot be criticised, as can the
other methods which have been used. For example, if you use a properly
regulated vacuum tube and feed it with air only, a pink light results;
if you feed it with nitrogen a yellow light results, and such a light
can be used for a great many purposes; in fact its range of usefulness
so far as the color is concerned, is about the same as that of the
ordinary incandescent lamp, and therefore can be used by florists or by
clothing merchants, and the distortion is not any worse than that of
the ordinary incandescent lamp. However, it is not by any means claimed
that when a tube is fed nitrogen, that the color is at all near
daylight; it is simply a color which appears about the same as that
produced by the ordinary incandescent lamp. Due to the enormous
radiating surfaces of the tube, the color in day time looks considerably
redder than that of the incandescent lamp because the lamp is extremely
small as compared with the tube. When such a tube is fed with carbon
dioxide at a definite pressure, and at a definite intensity, a light is
obtained that undoubtedly is closer to average daylight color values
than any light which has ever been produced before, and we can almost
say that it is entirely satisfactory. For instance, experts in matching
colors in the largest dye works of this country, men who have tried all
other forms of light, and found them not at all suitable for their uses,
have matched their colors under a vacuum tube supplied with carbon
dioxide and have found after months of practical use that they could not
detect any difference between most delicate lavender shades, when they
are matched at night time under the tube and in day time by daylight,
not direct sunlight."
#DRESS AND COMPLEXION#
160. The nerves of the eye, exhilarated by any pronounced color,
unconsciously observe the complement of that color when turned from it.
The eye accustomed to the red of a woman's dress, unconsciously sees a
greenish cast in the face that is naturally pale, and in the same way
the pallor of a woman's face takes on a tint of red as the complement
or contrast of a green dress. As one's appetite for the thing that is
sweet becomes exhausted by a superabundance of sweets, so the eye
resting upon a mass of red in the dress of a woman fails to appreciate
the red tint in the face, and the face thus juxtaposed becomes pallid. A
red-faced woman often wears brighter red in dress, so that her face may
appear less red. The blue dress gives yellow to the face; the yellow
dress gives blue; these results are altered materially by the
intervention of white between the face and the dress. White intensifies
color. If there is a tinge of pink in the face white brings it out. If
there is sallowness in the face white accentuates it. It is for this
reason that many women wear yellow instead of white at the neck, so that
the yellow of the face becomes less conspicuous by contrast. (See ¶ 31.)
161. It is dangerous, however, in matters of dress to strictly apply
this rule, because color has a temperamental influence apart from the
purely visual. Some women are positively depressed by certain colors;
such colors are to be avoided, no matter what the deductions of theory.
(See ¶ 94.)
162. The black dress will make a woman look pale, for the reason that
the black absorbs whatever color there may be in her face. A dark color
has also absorbent characteristics. The lighter the color, the less
absorbent. Hence light greens are preferable to bring out the color in
the face than dark greens, assuming that we are to consider only this
point, which is all that is necessary to consider in house decoration.
Therefore light greens as a background to theater boxes or as a wall
background are always desirable.
[Illustration: Lighting by wires. See ¶ 153.]
#COLOR TERMS#
BROKEN COLOR. Color changed by the addition of black,
white or gray.
CHROMA. Color.
COLD COLORS are colors containing very little, if any, red or
yellow.
CONTRAST ANALOGIES. Apparent contrasts of secondary and
tertiary colors which have constituent parts that are
related. Thus compositions of citrine and plum are apparent
contrasts, citrine being one of the three tertiary
colors, russet, slate and citrine, and plum being composed
of russet and slate, but in both citrine and plum
there is red, yellow and blue; hence related. There can
be no true contrasts excepting between primaries and
secondaries.
GRAY. Normal gray is black and white mixed, but quaternary
colors are also called grays, or colors of the dull or
neutral scale.
HARMONY OF ANALOGY is produced by using related colors.
HARMONY OF CONTRAST. The juxtaposition of a primary
color, for example, with a secondary made of the other
two primaries. Thus of the primaries red, yellow and
blue, the contrasts would be red and green. Of the two
colors thus forming contrast the one is said to be the
COMPLEMENTARY of the other.
HUE. Applied to the predominating color in a composition.
INTENSE OR SATURATED COLORS. Colors that are pure, having
no tint or shade.
NEUTRAL COLORS. Applied to black, gray and quaternary
colors.
NORMAL. Intense colors of the prism. Colors of the natural
scale.
PRISMATIC COLORS are the colors viewed through a prism.
QUATERNARY COLORS. Made by combining two tertiary colors.
Quaternary colors are plum, sage and buff.
SCALE. Relates to colors of the same degree of tone.
SECONDARY COLORS. Orange, green and violet, each a combination
of two primaries.
SHADE. Produced by the addition of black to a normal color.
SOMBRE COLORS. Blue, violet and the subdued tones of luminous
colors.
SPECTRUM. The illusion of color produced by means of the
prism.
TERTIARY COLORS. Made by combining two secondary colors;
tertiary colors are slate, russet and citrine.
TINT. Produced by the addition of white to a normal color.
TONES are the gradations of color by adding either black or
white.
WARM COLORS or luminous colors are those having normal
yellow or red in the preponderance.
ADVANCING COLORS. Reds and bright yellow arouse the nerve
sense more quickly than blue or tones of color predominating
in blue. Hence they are called advancing colors.
RECEDING COLORS. Blue colors or colors in which blue predominate
or the exciting influences of yellow or red are
subjugated, are cold or receding colors.
* * * * *