Advances in synthetic pigments at t

Advances in synthetic pigments at the turn of the nineteenth century, followed by the in invention of chemical, or aniline, dyes in the middle of it, broadened the palette considerably and produced colours of greater intensity. But even with these advances, it was not until developments in the petrochemical industry after the Second World War that colour really began to permeate everyday life, almost to saturation point. While it may take a programme such as The Thirties in Colour, with its previously unseen colour documentary footage, to remind us that life prewar was not conducted in black and white, colour was nevertheless nowhere near as prevalent as it is today.