Goethe publishes Zur Farbenlehre (Theory of Colours)

Background. Goethe, a German polymath, formulated his arguments against Newton's optics by 1793, building on earlier criticisms by Louis Bertrand Castel. One commentator argues that what Goethe was really seeking was not a physiological but a psychological theory of colours, while Ernst Lehrs characterizes Goethe's theory as founded on the eye's experience of colour, in contrast to Newtonian optics. His observations on opposed colours led to a symmetric colour wheel, anticipating Ewald Hering's opponent colour theory. The work was printed in 1810, with specific print runs on grey and white paper.

Publication. The first edition of Zur Farbenlehre was printed at the Cotta'schen Verlagsbuchhandlung on May 16, 1810. It consisted of 250 copies on grey paper and 500 copies on white paper. Goethe considered this work his most important. The book was published in German in 1810 and later translated into English in 1840 by Charles Lock Eastlake.

Reception. During Goethe's lifetime, countless scientists and mathematicians commented on his criticism of Newton in color theory. Philosophers later distinguished between Newton's optical spectrum and Goethe's presentation of human colour perception. This distinction was analyzed by Ludwig Wittgenstein and Jonathan Westphal. Werner Heisenberg noted the significance of Goethe's efforts against Newtonian optics.