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{{Short description|Method of classifying skin color}}
{{distinguish|Lüscher color test}}
{{distinguish|Lüscher color test}}
[[File:Imprecise-Biasutti-map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Map of human skin color distribution for native populations, by [[Renato Biasutti|R. Biasutti]] in the von Luschan's chromatic scale for classifying skin color. It was reported that for areas with no data Biasutti simply filled in the map by extrapolation from findings obtained in other areas.<ref>{{cite book |page=600 |url=http://sites.psu.edu/ninajablonski/wp-content/uploads/sites/10224/2014/02/Jablonski.2004.ARA_.585ff.pdf |title=The Evolution of Human Skin Color|last=Jablonski }}</ref>]]
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[[File:Felix von Luschan Skin Color chart.svg|thumb|300px|Von Luschan's chromatic scale]]
[[File:Unlabeled Renatto Luschan Skin color map.svg|thumb|right|300px|Geographic distribution of skin colors for native populations prior to 1940.]]


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[[File:Felix von Luschan Skin Color chart.svg|thumb|right|Skin colors according to von Luschan's chromatic scale]]
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'''Von Luschan's chromatic scale''' is a method of classifying [[human skin color|skin color]]. It is also called the '''von Luschan scale''' or '''von Luschan's scale'''. It is named after its inventor, [[Felix von Luschan]]. The equipment consists of 36 opaque glass tiles which were compared to the subject's skin, ideally in a place which would not be exposed to the sun (such as under the arm). The von Luschan scale was used to establish [[race (human classification)|racial classifications]] of [[population]]s according to skin color; in this respect it is in contrast to the [[Fitzpatrick scale]] intended for the classification of the [[skin type]] of individuals introduced in 1975 by Harvard dermatologist [[Thomas B. Fitzpatrick]] to describe [[sun tanning]] behavior.<ref>Fitzpatrick TB: ''Soleil et peau'' [Sun and skin]. Journal de Médecine Esthétique 1975; 2:33-34</ref>


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'''Von Luschan's chromatic scale''' ('''VLS''') is a method of classifying [[human skin color|skin color]]. It is also called the '''von Luschan scale''' or '''von Luschan's scale'''. It is named after its inventor, [[Felix von Luschan]]. The equipment consisted of 36 opaque glass tiles which were compared to the subject's skin, ideally in a place which would not be exposed to the sun (such as under the arm). The von Luschan scale was used to establish [[race (human classification)|racial classifications]] of [[population]]s according to skin color; in this respect it is in contrast to the [[Fitzpatrick scale]] intended for the classification of the [[skin type]] of individuals introduced in 1975 by Harvard dermatologist [[Thomas B. Fitzpatrick]] to describe [[sun tanning]] behavior.<ref>Fitzpatrick TB: ''Soleil et peau'' [Sun and skin]. Journal de Médecine Esthétique 1975; 2:33-34</ref>
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The von Luschan scale was used extensively throughout the first half of the 20th century in [[Race (human classification)|race]] studies and [[anthropometry]]. However, it was considered problematic, even by its practitioners, because it was very inconsistent. In many instances, different investigators would give different readings of the same person.
The von Luschan scale was largely abandoned by the early 1950s, replaced instead by methods utilizing reflectance [[spectrophotometry]].


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The von Luschan scale was used extensively throughout the first half of the 20th century in [[Race (human classification)|race]] studies and [[anthropometry]]. However, the results were inconsistent: in many instances, different investigators would give different readings of the same person. The von Luschan scale was largely abandoned by the early 1950s, replaced with methods utilizing reflectance [[spectrophotometry]].
The following table correlates the von Luschan scale to the Fitzpatrick scale of skin types now in use in dermatology:

The following table shows the 36 categories of the von Luschan scale in relation to the six categories of the Fitzpatrick scale:<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Nina Jablonski|editor-first1=Michael P. Muehlenbein |title=Human Evolutionary Biology|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521879484|page=177|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VXX1jkhPH8C|access-date=24 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fitzpatrick Skin Type|url=http://www.arpansa.gov.au/pubs/RadiationProtection/FitzpatrickSkinType.pdf|publisher=Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency|access-date=24 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331085655/http://www.arpansa.gov.au///pubs/RadiationProtection/FitzpatrickSkinType.pdf|archive-date=31 March 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
!Fitzpatrick type ||von Luschan scale|| Also called
!Fitzpatrick type ||von Luschan scale|| Also called
|-
|-
| I || 1–5 || Very light or white, "[[Celts (modern)|Celtic]]" type<ref name="nicknames">these are commonly encountered names for the types, e.g. [https://www.personalgrowth.com/skin-important-2-square-meters-life/ "Your Skin: The Most Important 2 Square Meters Of Your Life"], [http://www.goldnbrown.co.uk/type.html goldnbrown.co.uk], [http://www.hautzone.ch/dermatologie/pigmented/man&sun.htm hautzone.ch] etc.</ref>
| I || 0–6 || Very light or white, "[[Celts (modern)|Celtic]]" type<ref name="nicknames">these are commonly encountered names for the types, e.g. [http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/2m2-skin/Skintest.htm US Army "Healthy Skin Campaign"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815080415/http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/2m2-skin/Skintest.htm |date=2009-08-15 }} [http://www.goldnbrown.co.uk/type.html goldnbrown.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412003610/http://www.goldnbrown.co.uk/type.html |date=2011-04-12 }}, [http://www.hautzone.ch/dermatologie/pigmented/man&sun.htm hautzone.ch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815080415/http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/2m2-skin/Skintest.htm |date=2009-08-15 }}</ref>
|-
|-
| II || 6–10 || Light or light-skinned European<ref name="nicknames"/>
| II || 7–13 || [[Light skin|Light]] or light-skinned European<ref name="nicknames"/>
|-
|-
| III || 11–15 || Light intermediate, or dark-skinned European<ref name="nicknames"/>
| III || 14–20 || Light intermediate, or dark-skinned European<ref name="nicknames"/>
|-
|-
| IV || 16–21 || Dark intermediate or "[[olive skin]]"<ref name="nicknames"/>
| IV || 21–27 || Dark intermediate or "[[olive skin]]"<ref name="nicknames"/>
|-
|-
| V || 22–28 || Dark or "[[Brown (racial classification)|brown]]" type
| V || 28–34 || Dark or "[[Brown (racial classification)|brown]]" type
|-
|-
| VI || 29–36 || Very dark or "[[Black people|black]]" type
| VI || 35–36 || Very dark or "[[Black people|black]]" type
|}
|}

==See also==
* [[Monk Skin Tone Scale]]


== References ==
== References ==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{commons category}}
* [http://www3.unifi.it/msn/CMpro-v-p-69.html Von Luschan's Chromatic Scale] {{it icon}} (at bottom) and other anthropometric instruments at the Natural History Museum of Florence
* [https://archive.today/20130111190954/http://www3.unifi.it/msn/CMpro-v-p-69.html Von Luschan's Chromatic Scale] {{in lang|it}} (at bottom) and other anthropometric instruments at the Natural History Museum of Florence


[[Category:Anthropometry]]
[[Category:Anthropometry]]
[[Category:Skin pigmentation]]
[[Category:Human skin color]]
[[Category:Scientific racism]]
[[Category:Color scales]]

Latest revision as of 13:33, 14 June 2024

Not to be confused with Lüscher color test.
Map of human skin color distribution for native populations, by R. Biasutti in the von Luschan's chromatic scale for classifying skin color. It was reported that for areas with no data Biasutti simply filled in the map by extrapolation from findings obtained in other areas.[1]
Skin colors according to von Luschan's chromatic scale

Von Luschan's chromatic scale (VLS) is a method of classifying skin color. It is also called the von Luschan scale or von Luschan's scale. It is named after its inventor, Felix von Luschan. The equipment consisted of 36 opaque glass tiles which were compared to the subject's skin, ideally in a place which would not be exposed to the sun (such as under the arm). The von Luschan scale was used to establish racial classifications of populations according to skin color; in this respect it is in contrast to the Fitzpatrick scale intended for the classification of the skin type of individuals introduced in 1975 by Harvard dermatologist Thomas B. Fitzpatrick to describe sun tanning behavior.[2]

The von Luschan scale was used extensively throughout the first half of the 20th century in race studies and anthropometry. However, the results were inconsistent: in many instances, different investigators would give different readings of the same person. The von Luschan scale was largely abandoned by the early 1950s, replaced with methods utilizing reflectance spectrophotometry.

The following table shows the 36 categories of the von Luschan scale in relation to the six categories of the Fitzpatrick scale:[3][4]

Fitzpatrick type von Luschan scale Also called
I 0–6 Very light or white, "Celtic" type[5]
II 7–13 Light or light-skinned European[5]
III 14–20 Light intermediate, or dark-skinned European[5]
IV 21–27 Dark intermediate or "olive skin"[5]
V 28–34 Dark or "brown" type
VI 35–36 Very dark or "black" type

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Jablonski. The Evolution of Human Skin Color (PDF). p. 600.
  2. ^ Fitzpatrick TB: Soleil et peau [Sun and skin]. Journal de Médecine Esthétique 1975; 2:33-34
  3. ^ Nina Jablonski, Michael P. Muehlenbein, ed. (2010). Human Evolutionary Biology. Cambridge University Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0521879484. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Fitzpatrick Skin Type" (PDF). Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d these are commonly encountered names for the types, e.g. US Army "Healthy Skin Campaign" Archived 2009-08-15 at the Wayback Machine goldnbrown.co.uk Archived 2011-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, hautzone.ch Archived 2009-08-15 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

[edit]
  • von Luschan F (1897). Beiträge zur Völkerkunde der Deutschen Schutzgebieten. Berlin: Deutsche Buchgemeinschaft.
  • von Luschan F (1927). Völker, Rassen, Sprachen : Anthropologische Betrachtungen. Berlin: Deutsche Buchgemeinschaft.
[edit]
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