Color Study : History of Camouflage
Through color and pattern, camouflage concealed people and equipment from an enemy by making them appear to be part of the natural surroundings.
The concept really goes back to early hunters. Hunters used fur, foliage and feathers to blend with the backdrop as they targeted their prey. Sailors centuries later strategically fought barbaric pirates with blue sails, blue tunics, and blue face paint to match ocean's waves.
Modern camouflage, patterns common to us today, began in the First World War. Soldiers painted their steel helmets in Disruptive Patterns. They were disruptive because these patterns, made up of random geometric shapes in tints and shades of the landscape, effectively diminished the soldier's silhouette as he hid in dirt trenches. To improve on this idea, professional artists were hired to paint canvas sheets used to throw over ships, aircraft, tanks, and artillery not in action. These "disguises" prevented observation aircraft and aerial photographers from getting a clear picture.
We next see the influence of the camouflage technique for uniforms in 1930 when armies issued camouflaged ponchos. The pattern used was designed with angular shapes in drab greens and browns against a tan background overlaid by green broken lines to simulate the frequent rain. With its success, camouflage fabrics in various patterns were made into mock shirts, helmet covers, padded jackets, hoods, mittens, and then eventually parachute styles still used today.
Soon enough, color and pattern selection became more detailed as heightened attention was paid to the effect of changing seasons on specific landscapes. During the Second World War, for example, armies adopted two versions of the 'frog' pattern printed as a reversible fabric. A green side, with splodges of dark green and dark and light browns set against a pale green background, was worn in the spring and summer months and a brown side with a sparse pattern of
brown shapes against a pale brown background for the fall and winter.
There are 350 recognized patterns of camouflage today.
To find out more about this subject, check out:
Tim Newark, Quentin Newark, Dr. JF Borsrello Brassey's Book of Camouflage, London, 1998
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