Timeline

The collection's color in twenty-year steps, and the pigments that changed what painters could buy.

Pigments

• 1706: Prussian blue. The first modern synthetic pigment.
• 1802: Cobalt blue. Thénard's stable, pure blue.
• 1815: Chrome yellow. A cheap, brilliant yellow, in use from the 1810s.
• 1828: Synthetic ultramarine. Lapis-blue at a fraction of the price.
• 1841: Paint tubes. Oil paint becomes portable; painting moves outdoors.
• 1846: Cadmium yellow. Commercially available from the 1840s.
• 1859: Viridian. A clear, transparent green.
• 1921: Titanium white. Brighter and more opaque than lead white.