My translation of Color Charts: A History by Anne Varichon is out today from Princeton University Press.

In The Art Newspaper, reviewer Jad Adams praised my translation, writing that “translator Kate Deimling deserves a special accolade for translating not only the sometimes technically challenging terms but conveying Varichon’s effervescent enthusiasm for her subject.”

In this lavishly illustrated book, Anne Varichon traces the development of the color chart from medieval times through the present day. Some of the highlights involve color charts established by naturalists as they sought to catalog and describe the natural world; developments in synthetic paint that changed the way artists worked, allowing them to paint outdoors; and a plethora of makeup colors that sparked the imagination and spoke to the diverse skin tones of modern-day France. Varichon did extensive research in archives, libraries, and private collections to find the documents pictured in her book, and many of them have never before been seen in print. She places all these historical documents in the context of their culture and time. This is one of those rare books that will actually change the way you see the world.