Friday, May 27, 2011

Purple

Purple was a little bit elusive.  Although, as very obvious by the CWF gown below, it can easily fade to a light pink.  I do really wish we could have seen the constructed gown that goes with the Met petticoat fabric as well, that looks breathtaking.  Notice the terms below, there is a distinct running theme of flowers.  As always, definitions from Elephant's Breath & London Smoke.

Purple: red, tinctured with blue. Royal English Dictionary, 1775.
Violet: Violet is made indifferently with red and black, or red and blue; and to render it more splendid, with red, white and blue. Painter and Varnisher's Guide, 1804.
Lilac: Lilacs, pigeons necks, mauves, &c. are commonly dipped in the boiling which has ferved for violet. Elements of the Art of Dyeing, 1791.
Lavender: Lavender Purple, the lavender blue of Werner, is composed of blue, red, and a little brown and grey. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, 1814.
Amaranth: Blue and half red cimfon compofe amaranth, tan colour, dry-rofe, a brown panfy and fur-brown. Dictionarium Polygraphicum, 1735.
Columbine: in Dying, a pale violet, or changeable dove-colour. Royal English Dictionary, 1775.
Pansy: Pansy purple, is indigo blue with carmine red, and a slight tinge of raven black. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, 1814.
Plum: a bright violet or plum colour. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1801.











2 comments:

Laura Carpenter said...

Beautiful post!

Mirja said...

Aaah, I love you "colorful" posts :-) They really inspire me to sew a new gown soon ;-) But they also make my decision which color to chose very difficult...