Lavender (color) explained

Lavender (web color)
Hex:E6E6FA
Source:X11,[1] HSV[2]
Isccname:Very pale blue
Symbolism:LGBT, calmness, homosexuality

Lavender is a light shade of purple or violet. It applies particularly to the color of the flower of the same name. The web color called lavender is displayed adjacent—it matches the color of the palest part of the flower; however, the more saturated color shown as floral lavender more closely matches the average color of the lavender flower as shown in the picture and is the tone of lavender historically and traditionally considered lavender by average people as opposed to website designers.[3] The color lavender might be described as a medium purple, a pale bluish purple,[4] or a light pinkish-purple. The term lavender may be used in general to apply to a wide range of pale, light, or grayish-purples, but only on the blue side; lilac is pale purple on the pink side. In paints, the color lavender is made by mixing purple and white paint.

Historical development of the concept of the color

The first recorded use of the word lavender as a color term in English was in 1705.[5]

Originally, the name lavender only applied to flowers. By 1930, the book A Dictionary of Color[6] identified three major shades of lavender—[floral] lavender, lavender gray, and lavender blue, and in addition a fourth shade of lavender called old lavender (a darker lavender gray) (all four of these shades of lavender are shown below). By 1955, the publication of the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (a color dictionary used by stamp collectors to identify the colors of stamps), now on the Internet,[7] listed dozens of different shades of lavender. Today, although the color floral lavender (the color of the flower of the lavender plant) remains the standard for lavender, just as there are many shades of pink (light red, light rose, and light magenta colors), there are many shades of lavender (some light magenta, some light purple, [mostly] light violet [as well as some grayish-violet], and some light indigo colors).

Variations

Lavender blush

Lavender blush
Hex:FFF0F5
Source:X11
Isccname:Pinkish-white

Displayed at right is the web color lavender blush. It is a pale pinkish tone of lavender.

Lavender mist (web color lavender)

Lavender mist
Hex:E6E6FA
Source:X11
Isccname:Very pale blue

The color designated as the web color lavender is a very pale tint of lavender that in other (artistic) contexts may be described as lavender mist.

Languid lavender

Languid lavender
Hex:D6CADD
Source:Plochere
Isccname:Very pale purple

Displayed at right is the color languid lavender. The source of this color is the Plochere Color System, a color system formulated in 1948 that is widely used by interior designers.[8]

Lavender gray

Lavender gray
Hex:C4C3D0
Source:ISCC-NBS
Isccname:Light bluish-gray

The historical name for this color is lavender gray. It is listed in A Dictionary of Color as one of the three major variations of lavender in 1930 along with lavender blue (shown below) and [floral] lavender (also shown below).[9] (This book also designates a fourth shade of lavender, called old lavender, also shown below). This color is similar to Prismacolor colored pencil PC 1026, Greyed Lavender.

Soap

Soap
Hex:CEC8EF
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Very pale violet

The color soap is displayed at right. Soap is a color formulated by Crayola in 1994 as one of the colors in its Magic Scent specialty box of colors.This color is a representation of soap scented with lavender, one of the most popular scents for soap.

Pale lavender

Pale Lavender
Hex:DCD0FF
Source:ISCC-NBS
Isccname:Very light violet

At right is displayed the pale tint of lavender shown as lavender in sample 209 in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names.[10]

Lavender blue

See main article: Periwinkle (color).

Periwinkle
Hex:CCCCFF
Source:Maerz and Paul[11]
Isccname:Very light purplish-blue

Lavender blue was listed in A Dictionary of Color as one of the three major variations of lavender in 1930 along with lavender gray (shown above) and [floral] lavender (shown below). It is identified as being the same color as periwinkle. The first use of the term lavender blue as a color term was in 1926.[12]

Light lavender (wisteria)

Wisteria
Hex:C9A0DC
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Light purple

The color wisteria is displayed at right. Wisteria, a light medium violet color is equivalent to light lavender.

The Prismacolor colored pencil PC 956, which used to be called light violet and is now called lilac (the actual color of the colored pencil is equivalent to wisteria rather than lilac) is this color.Wisteria in this exact shade is one of the Crayola crayon colors on the list of Crayola crayon colors. It was formulated as a Crayola color in 1993. The first recorded use of wisteria as a color name in English was in 1892.[13]

Pink lavender

Pink lavender
Hex:DBB2D1
Source:Pantone TPX[14]
Isccname:Grayish purplish pink

The color pink lavender is displayed at right.

The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #14-3207 TPX—Pink Lavender.[15]

Lavender pink

Lavender pink
Hex:FBAED2
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Light purplish-pink

After the introduction of the Munsell color system, in which purple, described as equivalent to red-violet, is described as one of the five psychological primary colors along with red, yellow, green, and blue, some people began to think of lavender as being somewhat more pinkish color. This color can be described as lavender pink or pale pinkish-purple when purple is defined as equivalent to red-violet as artists do.

This tone of lavender, displayed at right, is the color designated as lavender (color #74) in the list of Crayola crayon colors. This version of "lavender" is a lot pinker than the other shades of lavender shown here.

Lavender rose

Lavender rose
Hex:FBA0E3
R:251
G:160
B:227
C:0
M:36
Y:10
K:2
H:316
S:36
V:98[16]
Source:Internet

Lavender rose[17] is a light shade of magenta.[18] Before 1958, the color shown below as medium lavender gray and now called purple mountain majesty by Crayola was called lavender in Crayola crayons. This color can be seen as between the colors rose and lavender.

Lavender magenta

Textcolor:black
Lavender magenta
Hex:EE82EE
R:238
G:130
B:238
C:0
M:46
Y:0
K:7
H:300
S:45
V:93[19]
Source:X11

Some perceive lavender as being a light violet color somewhere between the web colors heliotrope and the web color wisteria. This color is reproduced at right: it is equivalent to the web color mistakenly called "Violet" which is actually a light violet, i.e., a lavender of medium saturation (see the colors displayed in the article on violet for a comparison of the so-called web color "violet" with the actual color violet, which is color #8B00FF: actual color violet). Although the web color "violet" may be called light violet it is technically actually a light magenta, since the red and blue values of the color are equal (which signifies for computer display that this color is a shade of magenta), and therefore another name for this color is lavender magenta,[20] [21] [22] analogous to the colors lavender gray, lavender indigo, lavender blue, lavender rose, and lavender pink.

Medium lavender magenta (web color plum)

Plum (web color)
Hex:DDA0DD
Source:HTML/CSS[23]
Isccname:Light reddish-purple

See main article: Plum (color). At right is displayed the color medium lavender magenta which is equivalent to the web color version of plum (pale plum).This color may be regarded both as a tone of lavender since it is a light color between rose and blue and as a light medium tone of magenta because its red and blue values are equal (the color signature of a tone of magenta for computer display).

Heliotrope

See main article: Heliotrope (color).

Heliotrope
Hex:DF73FF
Source:Maerz and Paul[24]
Isccname:Vivid purple

The color heliotrope is shown at right. Another name for this color is psychedelic lavender because this color was a popular color often used in the hippie psychedelic poster art of the late 1960s for the Fillmore Auditorium and the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. These posters were sold in the head shops of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and were drawn and produced by such artists as Wes Wilson, Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, and Victor Moscoso.

Bright Úbe

Bright úbe
Hex:D19FE8
R:209
G:159
B:232
C:32
M:47
Y:0
K:0
H:270
S:72
V:64
Source:Encycolorpedia

Displayed at right is the color bright ube (IPA: [ˈʔu.bɛ]).[25] [26] [27] [28] [29] The color takes its name from purple yams, notably from the appearance of pastries or ice cream where said tuber is an ingredient or the overall flavor. Outside the Philippines, such products are available in Filipino grocery or speciality stores.

Lavender (floral)

Lavender (floral)
Hex:B57EDC
Source:Maerz and Paul[30]
Isccname:Brilliant purple

At right is displayed the color Lavender (floral). This color matches the color shown as "lavender" (viewed under a full-spectrum fluorescent lamp) in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color (reference below), the world standard for color names before the introduction of computers. This color may also be called floral lavender. It is a medium violet.

This tone of lavender would be the approximate color resulting from a mix of 50% violet paint and 50% white paint.

This tone of lavender may be regarded as actual lavender and the other tones displayed in this article can be regarded as all variations on this shade.[31]

This lavender also closely matches the color given as lavender in a basic purple color chart.

Amethyst

Amethyst
Hex:9966CC
Source:htmlcsscolor[32]
Isccname:Vivid violet

The color amethyst is a moderate, transparent violet. Its name is derived from the stone amethyst, a form of quartz. Amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February.

The first recorded use of amethyst as a color name in English was in 1572.[33] Though the color of natural amethyst varies from purple to yellow, the amethyst color referred to here is the moderate purple color most commonly associated with amethyst stones. There is disagreement as to the cause of the purple color of the amethyst stone. Some believe that the color is due to the presence of manganese, while others have suggested that the amethyst color could be from ferric thiocyanate or sulfur found in amethyst stones.

Lavender indigo

Lavender indigo
Textcolor:white
Hex:9457EB
R:148
G:87
B:235
C:37
M:63
Y:0
K:8
H:265
S:63
V:The Official Register of Color Names

The color lavender indigo[34] is displayed at right.

Lavender indigo is a shade of lavender that is similar to the color blue-violet, a shade of indigo.

Deep lavender (web color medium purple)

Medium purple
Hex:9370DB
Source:X11
Isccname:Vivid violet

See main article: Purple. Displayed at right is the web color medium purple which is equivalent to deep medium violet or deep lavender.

Lavender purple (purple mountain majesty)

Purple mountain majesty
Hex:9678B6
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Light violet

Displayed at right is the color purple mountain majesty, a Crayola color since 1993. This color may be regarded as a medium lavender gray.

This color was the color called lavender in Crayola crayons before 1958, when Crayola switched to calling the color shown above as lavender pink as being lavender. See the website "Lost Crayola Crayon Colors".[35] Because of that, another name for this color is lavender purple.This color is a representation of the way mountains look when they are far away.

English lavender

English lavender
Hex:B48395
Source:Pantone TPX[36]
Isccname:Grayish purplish red

Displayed at right is the color English lavender.

English lavender is a medium light tone of grayish pinkish lavender.The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #17-3617 TPX—English Lavender.[37]

Twilight lavender

Twilight lavender
Hex:8A496B
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Dark purplish-red

The color twilight lavender is displayed at right. Twilight lavender is a color formulated by Crayola in 1990 as one of the colors in its Silver Swirls specialty box of metallic colors.

Although this is supposed to be a metallic color, there is no mechanism for displaying metallic colors on a computer.

Dark lavender

Textcolor:white
Dark lavender
Hex:734F96
R:115
G:79
B:150
C:43
M:76
Y:0
K:0
H:270
S:47
V:59[38]
Source:Vexillological

Displayed at right is the color dark lavender, a representation of the exact shade of lavender that is used in the central band of the bisexual pride flag (Pantone color #258--"Deep Lavender"). On the bisexual pride flag, this color is shown as being the combination of a deep tone of magenta darker than but similar to shocking pink, the color representing women, and royal azure (a medium dark shade of azure), the color representing men. For the specifications of the color tones of the top and bottom color bands, see the image of the flag in the bisexual pride flag article.

Halayà úbe

Halayà úbe
Textcolor:white
Hex:663854
R:102
G:56
B:84
C:50
M:57
Y:0
K:7
H:278
S:12
V:37
Source:Internet

Displayed at right is the rich dark lavender purple color halayà úbe,[39] the color of the purple yam jam (halayà úbe) sold in Filipino grocery stores. The source of this color is the following website offering Filipino foods for sale (see under Halaya Ube):[40]

Old lavender

Old lavender
Hex:796878
Source:ISCC-NBS
Isccname:Grayish-purple

The dark lavender gray color displayed at right is called old lavender. It is a dark grayish-violet.

The first recorded use of old lavender as a color name in English was in the year 1924.[41]

In culture

Fashion

LGBT

Music

Religion

Film, television and video games

Numismatics

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a lavender colored banknote of ₹100 denomination under Mahatma Gandhi New Series. The bank note measures 142 mm × 66 mm.

See also

References

Attribution

Notes and References

  1. http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-color/#svg-color 4.3. SVG color keywords—X11 colors including gray/grey variants:
  2. Web site: Convert RGB: #E6E6FA @ toolstud.io.
  3. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill See discussion of color lavender, Page 163; See color Sample of Lavender—Page 109 Plate 43 Color Sample C5 (Note that the color sample of lavender shown in the book A Dictionary of Color (the world standard for color matching before the introduction of computers) matches the shade of lavender displayed above under the heading "Lavender (floral)")
  4. Web site: Dictionary.com Meanings & Definitions of English Words . 2024-04-27 . Dictionary.com . en.
  5. Book: A. Maerz. M. Rea Paul. A Dictionary of Color. New York. 1930. McGraw-Hill. 197. 1150631.
  6. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill
  7. ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)—Color dictionary used by stamp collectors to identify the colors of stamps—See various shades of the color Lavender displayed on indicated page: http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-l.htm
  8. http://colors.bravo9.com/nbs-iscc-p-plochere-color-system/list/all/ Plochere Color System:
  9. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 197
  10. Web site: Retsof online version of ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Colo(u)r Names – La through Lz. Tx4.us. 2009-12-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822091612/http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-l.htm. 2017-08-22.
  11. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called periwinkle in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color periwinkle is displayed on page 109, Plate 43, Color Sample B8.
  12. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 196—Lavender blue shown as one of the three major variations of lavender under heading lavender; Page 190—Lavender blue is listed as blue-lavender, first use of the color term is identified as 1926, and the color is identified with periwinkle.
  13. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 207; Color Sample of Wisteria: Page 105 Plate 41 Color Sample E8
  14. Type the words "Pink Lavender" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear.
  15. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder—Type the words "Pink Lavender" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear:
  16. http://web.forret.com/tools/color.asp?RGB=%23FBA0E3 web.forrett.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code #FBA0E3 (Lavender Rose):
  17. Web site: HEX color #FBA0E3, Color name: Lavender Rose, RGB(251,160,227), Windows: 14917883. - HTML CSS Color . 2024-03-10 . www.htmlcsscolor.com.
  18. Web site: Lavender rose / #fba0e3 hex color . 2024-03-10 . ColorHexa . en-us.
  19. http://web.forret.com/tools/color.asp?RGB=%23EE82EE web.forrett.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code #EE82EE (Lavender Magenta):
  20. Web site: Violet / Lavender magenta / #ee82ee Hex Color Code . 2024-02-23 . encycolorpedia.com . en.
  21. Web site: Lavender Magenta - #ee82ee Hex Code, Shades and Complementary Colors . 2024-02-23 . Lavender Magenta - #ee82ee Hex Code, Shades and Complementary Colors . en.
  22. Web site: #EE82EE Hex Color RGB: 238, 130, 238 DEEP PINK, FUCHSIA, FUSCHIA, HOT PINK, LAVENDER MAGENTA, MAGENTA . 2024-02-23 . ColorCombos.com . en.
  23. http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-color/#html4 W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, HTML4 color keywords
  24. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called heliotrope in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color heliotrope is displayed on page 131, Plate 54, Color Sample C10.
  25. Web site: Bright ube / #d19fe8 Hex Color Code . 2024-03-10 . encycolorpedia.com . en.
  26. Web site: Bright ube / #d19fe8 hex color . 2024-03-10 . ColorHexa . en-us.
  27. Web site: Color Bright ube Hex Code #D19FE8 RGB 209, 159, 232 . 2024-03-10 . www.99colors.net.
  28. Web site: What is the color of Bright Ube? . 2024-03-10 . crispedge . en-US.
  29. Web site: Bright Ube RGB Color Code: #D19FE8 . 2024-03-10 . rgbcolorcode.com . en.
  30. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called lavender in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color lavender is displayed on page 109, Plate 43, Color Sample C5.
  31. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Color Sample of Lavender—Page 109 Plate 43 Color Sample C5 (The color sample of lavender shown in A Dictionary of Color matches the tone of lavender displayed above under the heading "Lavender (floral)")
  32. Web site: HEX color #9966CC, Color name: Amethyst, RGB(153,102,204), Windows: 13395609. – HTML CSS Color. Nikolaev. 8Bytes studio, Koshevoy Dmitry. Ukraine. htmlcsscolor.com. en. 2018-07-25.
  33. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 189; Color Sample of Amethyst: Page 113 Plate 45 Color Sample J8
  34. Web site: Lavender Indigo color - #9457EB - The Official Register of Color Names . 2024-02-23 . color-register.org . en-US.
  35. Web site: lost color lists – (bring back gold ochre!) . Maxpages.com . June 24, 2004 . September 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012151724/http://maxpages.com/lostcrayolas/lost_color_lists . October 12, 2007.
  36. Type the words "English Lavender" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear.
  37. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder—Type the words "English Lavender" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear:
  38. http://web.forret.com/tools/color.asp?RGB=%23734F96 web.forrett.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code #734F96 (Dark Lavender):
  39. Web site: Halayà Úbe - #663854 Hex Code, Shades and Complementary Colors . 2024-02-23 . Halayà Úbe - #663854 Hex Code, Shades and Complementary Colors . en.
  40. Web site: フィリピン食材,食品,飲み物,お菓子をご自宅まで配達-CMMフィリピン情報サイト . Cmm-net.co.jp . 2009-12-07.
  41. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 200
  42. Web site: Rose color Meanings – Meaning of Rose Colors. rkdn.org. 2016-05-07.
  43. Web site: 2014-10-29 . LGBTQ lexicon: What's the significance of the color lavender? . 2024-03-10 . Dallas News . en.
  44. http://www.oed.com/ Oxford English Dictionary
  45. Rodgers, Bruce (1972). "Lavender". Gay Talk: The Queen's Vernacular—A Dictionary of Gay Slang. New York: Parragon Books, G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 124.
  46. Jay, Karla and Young, Allen Lavender Culture: The Perceptive Voices of Outspoken Lesbians and Gay Men (1978)
  47. http://www.gaycityusa.com/hankycodes.htm Hankycode on gaycitiusa.com
  48. http://www.leathernjonline.com/hanky.htm Hankycode on leathernjonline.com
  49. Web site: The Gay Asian American Male - Striving to Find an Identity . September 27, 2021 . Lee . Tom . 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070810022458/http://www.asianweek.com/2000_06_22/feature.html . 2007-08-10.
  50. Bonica, Patricia. Jaime M. Grant.. 1998. Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Organizations.. The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History. May 6, 2016.
  51. Web site: LGBTQIA+ . Lavendergreens . September 27, 2021.
  52. Article in the October 8, 1973 issue of Time magazine about the Lavender Panthers: "The Sexes: The Lavender Panthers".
  53. https://www.amazon.com/Lavender/dp/B07WT7JR99 Lavender by October Noir on Amazon Music