Land made the full spectrum using only white and red light.
Edwin H. Land founded a theory of color that revolutionized the way that the scientific community looked at how color was perceived in the human brain. Before Land, people believed that every spot of color had its own defining wavelength and that a color must be present for it to be seen. Land, through his experimentation, showed that the human brain is more adaptable and that colors are not always what they seem.
Founder
Edwin H. Land was a self-made inventor and lover of science. His primary contributions to society include the addition and application of polarization to car headlights and sunglasses, and the invention of the Polaroid film and camera. Land's color theory developed through his attempts to create color photography for the Polaroid camera, which at that time supported only black and white images.
Accidental Discovery
Land was attempting to create instant color photography by experimenting with three-color photography. One day, after shutting off the green projector and removing the blue coloring from its projector, Land and his assistant noticed that, although only red and white light was being shown on the screen, they could perceive the whole continuum of colors to be where they naturally should have been.
Experiments
Land tried a variety of experiments, usually using the colors of white and red to demonstrate that the full amount of hues in the spectrum can be seen using just these two color filters. Eventually, he was able to show the full spectrum of color using two shades of yellow that were only 20 nanometers apart on the visible spectrum, and thus indistinguishable from one another to the naked eye. Although his images never have the value and boldness of printed images, the full range of colors are completely and obviously visible.
Theory
Land's color theory states that color does not necessarily come as a result of the exact wavelength of light striking a particular area of an image and being perceived by the eye. Instead, the retina perceives different quanta of light at different points in an image, and the whole of the image taken together provides color rather than the individuals points of light. Land supported the idea of color not as a single point but as a field phenomenon.
Criticism
Although Land's work is now considered fundamental in the understanding and the continuing work done on color theory and the perception of color in the brain, many scientists during his time criticized him for not citing any sources that proved similar findings to his own discoveries. For instance, Gaspard Monge had demonstrated the idea that colors changed depending on their surroundings over a century before Land's work. Regardless, though, Land provided a boost in interest in experimentation with color theory that still can be felt into the modern day.
