The dress

The Dress is a photograph that became a viral internet sensation on 26 February 2015, when viewers disagreed over whether the dress pictured was coloured blue and black, or white and gold. The phenomenon revealed differences in human colour perception, which have been the subject of ongoing scientific investigations into neuroscience and vision science, with a number of papers published in peer-reviewed science journals.

Background

The dress in the photograph was identified as a product of the retailer Roman Originals, which was actually blue and black, although the lighting in the image gave it a white and gold appearance to some viewers. The image was initially posted to Tumblr by a Scottish singer named Caitlin McNeill.

Perception and Interpretation

The optical illusion is a result of the image's lighting and the individual viewer's interpretation of the dress's fabric. The brain makes assumptions about the illumination of the dress, which can alter the perceived colours. This phenomenon is known as colour constancy.

Scientific Explanation

Scientists have attributed the phenomenon to the retina's rods and cones, which are responsible for interpreting colour. Cones, which are sensitive to different colour wavelengths, can be influenced by the lighting of the image, causing the dress to appear different colours to different people.

Cultural Impact

The viral nature of the dress photograph led to widespread debate and created a number of internet memes. It also sparked interest in the field of colour perception, leading to a number of scientific studies and papers on the topic.

See Also

• Optical illusion
• Colour constancy
• Internet meme

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