Puce

Color
Puce
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#CC8899
sRGBB (r, g, b)(204, 136, 153)
HSV (h, s, v)(345°, 33%, 80%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(64, 43, 356°)
Source99colors.net
ISCC–NBS descriptorDark pink
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Puce is a brownish purple color. The term comes from the French couleur puce, literally meaning "flea color".[1]

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.[2][3][4]

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."[5] 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."[6]

Variations of puce

Puce (ISCC-NBS)

Puce (ISCC-NBS)
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#722F37
sRGBB (r, g, b)(114, 47, 55)
HSV (h, s, v)(353°, 59%, 45%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(29, 45, 7°)
SourceISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptorDark red
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

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)
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#A95C68
sRGBB (r, g, b)(169, 92, 104)
HSV (h, s, v)(351°, 46%, 66%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(48, 51, 4°)
SourceMaerz and Paul
ISCC–NBS descriptorModerate red
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

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

Puce (Pourpre color list)

Puce (Pourpre color list)
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#4E1609
sRGBB (r, g, b)(78, 22, 9)
HSV (h, s, v)(11°, 88%, 31%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(17, 38, 18°)
SourcePourpre.com
ISCC–NBS descriptorDeep brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

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.[citation needed]

Puce (Pantone)

Puce (Pantone)
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#4F3A3C
sRGBB (r, g, b)(79, 58, 60)
HSV (h, s, v)(354°, 27%, 31%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(27, 12, 6°)
SourcePantone TPX[8]
ISCC–NBS descriptorDark grayish reddish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

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.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "puce". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/3451789277. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ St. Clair, Kassia (2017-10-24). The Secret Lives of Color. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-5247-0494-0.
  3. ^ Kelleher, Katy (2017-10-24). "The Sexy-Gross Story of Puce". The Awl. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  4. ^ Under The Moonlight (2020-07-14). "Puce Was Once The Height Of 18th Century French Fashion For A Second". Under The Moonlight. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  5. ^ Zola, Émile (1880). Nana. Paris: G. Charpentier. p. 45. Vêtue d'une robe sombre de couleur indécise, entre le puce et le caca d'oie.
  6. ^ Hugo, Victor (1887). Les Misérables. Translated by Hapgood, Isabel F. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. p. 67.
  7. ^ Maerz and Paul (1930). A Dictionary of Color. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  8. ^ Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears.
  9. ^ Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder--Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears:
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Shades of pink
AmaranthAmaranth pinkBaker-Miller pinkBarbie PinkBlushBrilliant roseBrink pinkCarnation pinkCameo PinkCerise
          
Champagne pinkCherry blossom pinkChina roseCoralCoral pinkCordovanCyclamenDeep pinkDogwood roseFairy Tale
          
French roseFuchsiaFuchsia roseFollyHeliotropeHollywood ceriseHot magentaHot pinkLavender blushLavender pink
          
MagentaMexican pinkMimi PinkMisty roseMountbatten pinkOld roseOrchid pinkPale DogwoodPeachPersian rose
          
Persian pinkPhloxPiggy pinkPinkPink lavenderPink laceRose PompadourPuceRaspberryRazzle dazzle rose
          
RazzmatazzRed-violetRaspberry roseRoseRose BonbonRose ebonyRose pinkRose quartzRose redRose taupe
          
Rose valeRosewoodRosy brownSalmon pinkSeashellShocking pinkTea roseTickle me pinkTelemagentaThulian pink
          
Ultra pink
 
A typical sample is shown for each name; a range of color-variations is commonly associated with each color-name.
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Shades of red
Amaranth purpleBarn redBittersweetBittersweet shimmerBlood redBright pink (Crayola)BurgundyCandy apple redCantaloupe melonCardinal
          
CarmineCeriseChili redChocolate cosmosCinnabarClaretCoquelicotCoral pinkCordovanCornell red
          
CrimsonDark redFalu redFire brickFire engine redFollyGarnetImperial redIndian redJasper
          
Light coralLight redMadderMahoganyMaroonMisty roseOff-red (RGB)Old roseOU crimsonPenn red
          
Persian redPinkPoppyRedRed-brownRed (CMYK)
(pigment red)
Red (Crayola)Red (Munsell)Red (NCS)Red (Pantone)
          
RedwoodRojoRoseRose ebonyRose redRose taupeRose valeRosewoodRosy brownRust
          
Rusty redSalmonSalmon pinkScarletSyracuse red-orangeTea rose (red)TomatoTurkey redVermilionWine
          
A typical sample is shown for each name; a range of color-variations is commonly associated with each color-name.