And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!

The idea of purple has been creeping up on me over a few years. Probably about four or five years ago, I went with my daughters on a trip to a cave in Kilkenny, about 80 miles from Dublin. Archaeologists found evidence of a Viking massacre in the cave, and also some snail shells, which we were told were a special type of snail which produced a purple dye, very valuable! I thought nothing further of it.

Then about three years ago I did a study of the Byzantine Empire, and discovered the importance of this particular purple dye to the Romans and Byzantines. After that, I kept on coming across it in various guises here and there. So I was surrounded by purple. I made purple my personal colour—for a while it was the colour in the Brunel skin of my Personal Space. Then I confined it to the header at the top of my journal entries and messages left on my personal space.

I noticed that the Roman/Byzantine purple wasn't exactly what I'd call purple and that the meaning of the word seems to have changed over the years. Modern purple is a different colour. This intrigued me. Then I noticed that Galaxy Babe did an entry on the Phoenix which mentioned in passing the production of purple dye from snails. Finally, I was at a Pink Floyd tribute band concert with my daughter, and she noticed that the purple lights didn't come out on her camera at all. It was as if they were not there at all. I just kept coming across purple in one form or another. So I reckoned it was time to write an Entry.

I announced in my own journal that I felt that I could not avoid writing an entry on Purple. Immediately, all the people who are subscribed to my journal, those that have me marked as a friend, chipped in, with suggestions as to what should be in such an Entry. I started to write the Entry, and found to my surprise that almost as soon as I had written something, somebody would suggest it in the conversation. Almost every suggestion made was something I had already written in the draft entry. This proves to me that most people on h2g2 are much happier reading conversations than reading Entries. I decided that these people should not be penalised for making suggestions after I had already included the information, so I decided that anybody who made a suggestion should be added as an author of the Entry, even if their suggestion was after the fact. So the Entry began to collect a large list of authors.

This went on for a couple of weeks. We came across some interesting problems. Websailor suggested a poem called "Warning" about becoming old and wearing purple with a red hat that doesn't match. By the normal rules of copyright it is possible to quote a few lines for illustrative purposes without breach of copyright. But then TRiG suggested a poem about a Purple Cow. This turns out to be only four lines long. Could I quote the whole poem without breach of copyright because it was only four lines long? I reckoned this was cutting it a bit fine, so I've decided not to quote it.

Recumbentman suggested a few very important points: first, that purple has changed its colour since Roman times, and second, that purple is a mixture that doesn't exist in the rainbow. This latter point ties into a project I intended to write for a long time but never got around to: the theory of colour vision. This is a fascinating topic, and one I know a fair bit about, but I reckon to give it a proper treatment would require five or six detailed Entries. Both of Recumbentman's points deserve significant treatment in the Entry.

Eventually, the entry had grown into something which was, perhaps, ready for publication. I put it into Peer Review. But almost immediately I was plagued by doubts. I claimed in the Entry that the common perception of purple had changed since Roman times from a reddish brown colour to the present bluey-red colour, but I really had no idea when this change had happened. Further research was necessary, and when something is in Peer Review it is pickable after a week. If I didn't get this sorted within the week, I was running the risk of the entry being picked when I wasn't happy with it myself.

Two things then happened which might possibly cast some light on the subject. Firstly, I noticed that the Imperial State Crown of England has purple velvet, but the two pictures I could find of it on the web showed completely different colours for the velvet. Once again, we have the problem that cameras seem to be unable to take reliable pictures of purple. I mentioned this and Galaxy Babe said that she would research the issue. Since she was on her way to London, I assume she is going to look at the crown, which is on display in the Tower of London's 'Crown Jewels' exhibition. I'm eagerly awaiting a report.

The other thing that happened was that I was in a bookshop and found a book on coloured dyes and pigments and their effect on art through the ages. There was an entire chapter on the discovery of synthetic purple dye in the 19th Century. This may provide the solution to when the perception of purple changed. The book is called 'Bright Earth' and is a fascinating read. It is basically a history of Art based on the colours that were available and that the artists used. I'm only about half way through it, but if it doesn't solve the mystery of the change in the perception of purple, then nothing will, so when I'm finished it I'll be able to get to the Entry.

And the seven days after which the Entry can be picked? To avoid the deadline, I removed the Entry from Peer Review. It can go back in when it is ready.

One major issue I've come across is the temptation when writing the entry of listing things that are purple. There's a very beautiful 'Purple Emperor' butterfly, for example; there are vegetables such as the turnip and the aubergine which are purple on the outside, and of course the beetroot which is purple inside as well. There is the purple semi-precious stone, the amethyst, which is purple in colour. And as I read up on each of these, I find fascinating facts galore about each of them. The word amethyst, for example, means 'not drunk' in ancient Greek, because the ancient Greeks believed having amethysts about you could stop you getting drunk. That's a fact which should be included in some h2g2 Entry, but should it be in this one? Should everything which mentions purple even tangentially be included?

I eventually decided that only those things which affect people's attitude to purple should be included. Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen's purple suit is probably worth a mention because it makes a statement about the colour purple. The purple-coloured flowers in our meadows are not Entry-worthy, as they are just things that happen to be purple. I'll have to sift carefully through all the suggestions.

In the last few weeks, I've become obsessed with purple wherever I see it. I feel like going up to complete strangers and asking them, what colour would you call that? Somewhere at the end of all this obsession, the Entry will be completed and will be published.

And that's one way that h2g2 Entries get made.

Gnomon

14.05.2009 Front Page

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