Specimens of watercolours painted to test the stability of the pigments

About this work

This image shows eight narrow strips of watercolor paint on paper, each labeled with a color name like *Intense Blue* or *Roman Ochre*. Some strips fade or change slightly over time, with notes like *"This was added in March 1888"* scrawled beside them. The colors range from deep blues and greens to soft pinks and browns, arranged in two rows with handwritten dates like *July 1887*. The labels mention a painter named Newman, who tested these pigments for purity. One strip is marked as *"pure Madder,"* a dye made from roots, showing how artists checked color stability back then. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more of these paint tests.