Colour on Maps: Systems, Schemes, Codes

ABSTRACT Colour on maps is a key component in their use and meaning. Hitherto, however, the terms by which the different categories of the purpose of colour are usually described tend to be inconsistent. The aim in this brief note is to discuss these terminologies and suggest a working definition for each, with a view to establishing, in the longer term, an explicit methodology for the study of colour on maps. To illustrate the three key terms discussed here, particular reference is made to manuscript maps and hand-coloured woodblock prints produced in East Asia, especially in Korea and China before the twentieth century.