Puce Explained

Puce
Hex:CC8899
Source:99colors.net
Isccname:Dark pink

Puce is a brownish purple color. The term comes from the French couleur puce, literally meaning "flea color".

Puce became popular in the late 18th century in France. It appeared in clothing at the court of Louis XVI, and was said to be a favorite color of Marie Antoinette, though there are no portraits of her wearing it.[1] [2] [3]

Puce was also a popular fashion color in 19th-century Paris. In one of his novels, Émile Zola describes a woman "dressed in a dark gown of an equivocal color, somewhere between puce and goose shit."[4] In Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, Mademoiselle Baptistine wears "a gown of puce-colored silk, of the fashion of 1806, which she had purchased at that date in Paris, and which had lasted ever since."[5]

Variations of puce

Puce (ISCC-NBS)

Puce (ISCC-NBS)
Hex:722F37
Source:ISCC-NBS
Isccname:Dark red

The color to the right is the color called puce in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955). Since this color has a hue code of 353, it is a slightly purplish red.

Puce (Maerz and Paul)

Puce (M&P)
Hex:A95C68
Source:Maerz and Paul
Isccname:Moderate red

The color box to the right shows the color called puce in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul, A Dictionary of Color;[6] the color puce is displayed on page 37, Plate 7, Color Sample H4.

Puce (Pourpre color list)

Puce (Pourpre color list)
Hex:4E1609
Source:Pourpre.com
Isccname:Deep brown

At right is the color called puce in the Pourpre.com color list, a color list widely popular in France.This is the original puce, from which all other tones of puce ultimately derive.

Puce (Pantone)

Puce (Pantone)
Hex:4F3A3C
Source:Pantone TPX[7]
Isccname:Dark grayish reddish brown

The color at right is called puce in the Pantone color list.

The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #19-1518 TPX—Puce.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: St. Clair, Kassia . The Secret Lives of Color. 2017-10-24. Penguin. 978-1-5247-0494-0. en.
  2. Web site: Katy . Kelleher . 2017-10-24 . The Sexy-Gross Story of Puce . 2020-09-04 . The Awl . en.
  3. Web site: Under The Moonlight . 2020-07-14 . Puce Was Once The Height Of 18th Century French Fashion For A Second . 2020-09-04 . Under The Moonlight . en.
  4. Book: Zola, Émile. French: Vêtue d'une robe sombre de couleur indécise, entre le puce et le caca d'oie.. Nana. 1880. Paris. G. Charpentier. 45.
  5. Book: Hugo, Victor. Hapgood. Isabel F.. Les Misérables. 1887. New York. Thomas Y. Crowell. 67.
  6. Book: Maerz and Paul . A Dictionary of Color . New York . 1930 . McGraw-Hill.
  7. Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears.
  8. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder--Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears: