In proving that light is electromagnetic radiation,…

In proving that light is electromagnetic radiation, James Clerk Maxwell has predicted other radiations.

He has also contributed to the field of optics and the study of color vision, creating the foundation for practical color photography.

From 1855 to 1872, he has published at intervals a series of valuable investigations concerning the perception of color, color blindness and color theory, for the earlier of which the Royal Society had awarded him the Rumford Medal.

The instruments which he had devised for these investigations are simple and convenient to use.

For example, Maxwell's discs are used to compare a variable mixture of three primary colors with a sample color by observing the spinning "color top."