1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Abney, Sir William de Wiveleslie

ABNEY, SIR WILLIAM DE WIVELESLIE (1843–1920), English chemist, was born at Derby July 24 1843 and educated at Rossall school, obtaining a commission in the R.E. 1861. In 1876 he became C.B., D.Sc., D.C.L. and F.R.S. and from 1893 to 1897 he was successively president of the Royal Astronomical Society and of the Physical Society. In 1899 he became assistant secretary to the Board of Education; in 1903 he was appointed advisor to the science department of the Board, and the same year became a member of the Advisory council for education to the War Office. In 1900 he was knighted and in 1904 became chairman of the Society of Arts. His contribution to science was mainly in the furtherance of photographic chemistry and especially of colour photography and colour printing (see 16.661; 21.489, 498, 531, 532; 25.631; 6.729). His publications on these subjects include Instruction in Photography (1870); Colour Vision, Colour Measurement and Mixture (1893); and Trichromatic Theory of Colour (1914). He also wrote Thebes and its Five Great Temples (1876), and, with C. D. Cunningham, The Pioneers of the Alps (1888). He died at Folkestone Dec. 3 1920.