SUMMARY
Every color space used in digital editing, including sRGB, Adobe RGB, and Display P3, traces its origins to the CIE 1931 standard observer. This standard was established in the late 1920s through experiments involving 17 volunteers at Imperial College London and the National Physical Laboratory. These individuals performed bipartite field matches, adjusting mixtures of red, green, and blue lights to match single wavelengths. The data collected, though based on a small group and later reconstructed with a borrowed brightness curve, forms the foundation for colorimetry and is embedded in ICC profiles used today.
TAKEAWAYS
Modern color spaces are defined by the CIE 1931 standard observer.
The standard was developed from color matching experiments by 17 volunteers in 1920s England.
Their data is fundamental to ICC profiles and color management systems.
The standard observer's brightness weighting was reconstructed, not directly measured by the volunteers.