r 
 
/Philosophy 
 Of Color 
 
 Published by Clifford & Lawton 
 
 19 UNION SQUARE, NEW YORK 
 
Copyright, 1904 
 By Clifford & Lawton 
 
The PHILOSOPHY ^?/COLOR 
 
 1. Color Nomenclatvire. 
 
 HE harmony of color is 
 a visible expression of 
 one's mental joy. 
 In music it is an estab- 
 lished fact that certain 
 notes used in combina- 
 tion produce harmonious 
 sounds. The moment 
 that more than one note is struck, there is 
 danger of discord, and when ten notes re- 
 sound to the touch of the player, they must 
 be the right notes, or the sounds jar upon 
 the sensibilities. 
 
 In the use of color the same law of exactness 
 
6 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 applies, and this treatise is an attempt to ana- 
 lyze and understand the law. 
 Color nomenclature includes three primary 
 colors, three secondary colors, three tertiary 
 colors, and innumerable shades and tints and 
 modulations. All these colors bear relations 
 to one another, either relations of analogy, 
 like the relations of red to orange, or relations 
 of contrast, like red to green. It is a knowl- 
 edge of these relations of one color to another 
 that must be grasped before one may success- 
 fully produce results that are desirable. 
 
 Let us first understand what constitutes pure 
 color. 
 
 When a ray of sunshine passes through a glass 
 prism it is decomposed or separated, and if 
 the prismatic colors are received upon a white 
 screen, you will there find a pure blue^ a pure 
 redy and a pure yellow. 
 
 These are colors of the spectrum, and known as 
 the primary colors ; and it is necessary, when 
 speaking of any color, to bear these colors of 
 the spectrum in mind as standards — a blue, 
 for instance, that is the blue of the spectrum, 
 
of Color 
 
 7 
 
 and not a blue that is "prussian," "cobalt," 
 or sky blue." 
 
 In speaking of harmony, moreover, we must 
 understand that there are two distinct kinds — 
 the HARMONY of ANALOGY, which consists of 
 the harmony of related colors or tones of one 
 color, and the harmony of contrast, which is 
 composed of colors in no way related. As an of 
 example of harmony of analogy, we would 
 mention red and orange, because both of these 
 colors have ingredients in common, red being 
 one of the two component parts of orange. 
 As an example of the harmony of contrast, we 
 would mention red and green, because there is 
 nothing in common between the two, red be- 
 ing a primary color, and green a secondary, 
 composed of the other two primaries, yellow 
 and blue. 
 
 Green is therefore called the complementary 
 of red. 
 
 Thus the complementary of . blue would be 
 orange, because orange is formed by combin- 
 ing the remaining primaries, red and yellow ; 
 and the complementary of yellow would be 
 violet, because violet is composed of blue and 
 red, the other primaries. 
 
Definitions. 
 
 Primary colors are blue, red and yellow. 
 
 Secondary colors are orange, green and violet, each 
 a combination of two primaries. 
 
 Tertiary colors are colors made by combining 
 two secondary colors ; tertiary colors are slate, rus- 
 set and citrine. 
 
 Quaternary colors are made by combining two ter- 
 tiary colors. 
 
 A COMPLEMENTARY color is that color of a set of three 
 colors produced by combining two, which result is 
 termed the " complementary " of the third color. 
 Thus green is the complementary of red in the 
 primary set, because composed of yellow and blue. 
 
 Scale as in music relates to a sequence of notes of 
 the same degree of tone. 
 
 Luminous colors are warm colors — yellow, orange, 
 red, hght tints of green, and some light tones of 
 sombre colors. 
 
 Sombre colors are blue, violet and the subdued tones 
 of luminous colors. 
 
 Cold colors are the same as sombre colors. 
 
 Gray — A normal gray consists of pure black and 
 white mixed. Where white predominates, it be- 
 comes a light gray, and where black predominates, 
 a dark gray. 
 
Philosophy of Color 
 
 II 
 
 Colored grays are normal grays to which a primary 
 or a secondary color is added. 
 
 Hue is the change produced in a color by the addi- 
 tion of another color, although the original color 
 must always be in the ascendency. 
 
 Shade is the tone of color produced by the addition 
 of black. 
 
 Tint is the tone of color produced by the addition 
 of white. 
 
 Tones are the gradations of a color by adding either 
 black or white. 
 
12 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 DIAGRAM I, 
 
 2. Composition of Color. 
 
 HE above chart shows the manner in 
 which the various colors are formed. 
 
 Red, yellow and blue occupy the centre circle. 
 The next circle is also divided into thirds, vio- 
 let^ orange and green, and by examining same 
 
of Color 
 
 13 
 
 it will be seen that green contains one part 
 each of blue and yellow ; violet contains one 
 part each of red and blue ; orange, one part 
 each of red and yellow. 
 
 The third circle shows how slate, citrine and ^ . ^ j 
 russet are made. For instance, slate is one Diagram 
 part of violet and one part of green. Hence, a ScHemea 
 
 RUSSET 3 
 RED 1 
 
 GREEN 2 
 SAGE A 
 
 DIAGRAM II. 
 
4 
 
 Philosophy o/Color 
 
 tertiary color is made of equal parts of two 
 secondaries. 
 
 The three outer circles, olive, sage and plum, 
 can be analyzed in the same way, sage, for in- 
 stance, being composed of one part slate, with 
 one-half part citrine. 
 
 This diagram No. i is arranged to show not only 
 component parts of a color, but the parts that 
 properly harmonize. 
 
 3. TKe Contrast of Color. 
 
 TN DIAGRAM 2 we have arranged at oppo- 
 site points of the intersecting lines all of 
 the primary, secondary and tertiary colors, 
 marking the primaries i, the secondaries 2, and 
 the tertiaries 3. It will be recalled that in re- 
 ferring to harmonies of contrast we explained 
 that a primary color contrasts with its com- 
 plementary color, or the color made up by 
 mixing the remaining two primaries. Thus red 
 
i6 
 
 Philosophy o/Color 
 
 harmonizes with green, because green is made 
 up by combining blue and yellow. 
 This diagram shows the contrasting colors 
 very clearly. Red, No. i, contrasts with the 
 color immediately opposite, marked No. 2. 
 Blue, No. I, contrasts with the color imme- 
 diately opposite, orange. No. 2. 
 Yellow, No. I, contrasts with the color on the 
 end of the line, violet. No. 2. 
 So on with the tertiary and quaternary colors. 
 Russet, No. 3, contrasts with sage, No. 4. 
 But the diagram. No. i, goes further into the 
 subject. 
 
 It is easy to understand that orange is a mix- 
 ture of red and yellow, but it is not so easy to 
 know what russet is, or what slate is, and it is 
 still more difficult to analyze plum, sage and 
 olive, without a chart. But once understand- 
 ing that plum is a combination of one part rus- 
 set and one-half part slate, and that russet is 
 half violet and half orange, and so forth (see 
 chart), it is easy to arrange any kind of har- 
 monies — harmonies of related parts or harmo- 
 nies of dissimilar or contrasting parts. 
 
4'. TKe Decorative Application of Color. 
 
 TT IS a safe rule in small apartments or apart- 
 ments with low ceilings, or in cases where 
 the decorator is not sure of his grasp of the sub- 
 ject, to employ as the color scheme a three- 
 color harmony of analogy. 
 Or, we might take one of the three quater- 
 nary colors, sagCy and combine with it the 
 related tertiary and secondary colors : one 
 part slate and one-half citrine, which compose 
 sage; also, the constituent parts which make 
 slate and citrine, or one-half violet, three- 
 fourths green and one-quarter orange. 
 These proportions are well worth a little 
 study. 
 
 Sage uses slate and citrine, but when we ana- 
 lyze citrine we discover there is a little red in 
 it, only to that degree wherein red enters into 
 orange. Therefore, in using a pure red in a 
 
i8 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 room with a background of sage, very little 
 pure red is needed. 
 
 Taking sage, then, as the tone of background, 
 in order to determine a harmony of analogy 
 we must combine with it all of its constituent 
 parts in the proportions in which they occur. 
 ^ Therefore, we draw an imaginary line between 
 QxiicK A and B, which marks the composition of sage. 
 
 Guide. 
 
 We then discover the following analysis : 
 
 Sage equals one part slate plus one-half part citrine. 
 
 One part slate equals one-half part violet plus one- 
 half part green. 
 
 One-half part citrine equals one-quarter part green 
 plus one-quarter part orange. 
 
 One-half part violet equals one-quarter part blue plus 
 one-quarter part red. 
 
 One-half part green equals one-quarter part blue plus 
 one quarter part yellow. 
 
 One-quarter part green equals one-eighth part blue 
 plus one-eighth part yellow. 
 
 One-quarter part orange equals one-eighth part yellow 
 plus one-eighth part red. 
 
 Reducing the fractions we discover that, 
 
 Sage equals the sum of one part slate and one-half 
 citrine, or one and one-half parts or twelve-eighths. 
 
 Slate, by the same reasoning, equals two halves or 
 eight-eighths. 
 
Illustrating the composition and contrast of colors of the normal 
 scale. Each of the three primaries in the centre harmonizes by 
 contrast with the secondary color immediately opposite, and by 
 analogy with all the colors back of it. Printed for Clifford & 
 Lawton by the Quadri-Color Co., 32 Union Square, East. 
 
of Color 
 
 19 
 
 Citrine equals one-half or four-eighths. 
 Violet equals one-half or four-eighths. 
 Green equals three-quarters or six-eighths. 
 Orange equals one-quarter or two-eighths. 
 
 Hence, the colors to be used in composition 
 with sage as a background would be in pro- 
 portions : 
 
 Twelve parts sage, eight parts slate, four parts citrine, 
 four parts violet, six parts green, two parts orange. 
 In all, thirty-six parts, of which sage is one-third 
 or twelve parts. 
 
 If we take these proportions and apply them 
 to a room or to a wall-paper or to any scheme 
 of decoration, we can use them by applying 
 sage as a background color of all, to be one- 
 third in evidence when the work is completed ; 
 or we can apply the colors to a white back- 
 ground, using sage in the proportions herein- 
 before described, so that twelve parts of that 
 color shall be used in the decorations where 
 only eight parts slate, four parts citrine, etc., 
 are used. 
 
 Let us take, for instance, a room that is in 
 white woodwork, and apply the sage to the 
 walls and the slate to the floor, and lighten 
 the sage with citrine and lighten the slate 
 
20 
 
 Philosophy (?/Color 
 
 with violet, and intersperse orange and green 
 in a way permitted by the proportions at our 
 command. When the work is completed we 
 find a harmony of analogy which can be 
 then relieved by small touches of the primi- 
 tive colors, blue, red and yellow, to sharpen 
 and to emphasize. 
 
 TKe /^RNAMENTS in color on a gold ground 
 Flat J should be separated from the ground by 
 
 an edging of darker color. 
 
 Gold ornaments on a colored ground should 
 
 be outlined with black. 
 
 Ornaments of any color should be separated 
 from the ground of any other color by an 
 edging of lighter color, or white, black or gold, 
 although ornaments in any color or in gold 
 may be used on white or black grounds with- 
 out outline or edging. 
 
3. A. QviicK Way- of Determining Color 
 
 HE letters RV mean reddish violet, being 
 
 a violet having more red than blue in its 
 composition. BV means bluish violet, being a 
 violet having more blue than red in its com- 
 position. BG means bluish green, being a 
 green having more blue than yellow in its 
 composition. YG means yellowish green, be- 
 ing a green having more yellow than blue in 
 its composition. YO means yellowish orange, 
 being an orange having more yellow than red 
 in its composition. RO means reddish orange, 
 being an orange having more red than yellow 
 in its composition. Thus a red may change 
 to a yellow by gradations almost impercepti- 
 ble, the change being the addition of yellow, 
 little by httle, to a reddish orange, and so on, 
 gradually, to an orange, continuing on to a 
 yellowish orange, and, finally, to a yellow. The 
 contrasting color at any stage may be deter- 
 
 Contrasts. 
 
Philosophy <?/Color 
 
 23 
 
 mined by proceeding in a direct line across the 
 circle. For instance, take reddish orange. 
 We know that red has for its contrasting com- 
 plementary a green ; reddish orange would 
 have for its contrasting color a bluish green, 
 for the simple reason that if red combines with 
 green and orange combines with blue, the color 
 between the red and the orange would com- 
 bine with the color between the green and the 
 blue. Let us determine the contrasting color 
 for crimson, a very popular color. Crimson 
 is simply a red slightly touched with blue. 
 If red combines with green, a shade a little to 
 the left of red tinged slightly with blue would 
 combine with a shade a little to the right of 
 green slightly tinged with yellow. In other 
 words, a crimson would combine with a slightly 
 yellowish green. Determine at what point of 
 the circle any color that you have in mind will 
 come and the contrasting color will be im- 
 mediately opposite. See page 13. 
 
6. An Elxample Treatment. 
 
 '^HE decorator who has the faculty of har- 
 monizing existing conditions and pro- 
 ducing a room that is beautiful in color and 
 beautiful in e7isemble effect can achieve more 
 for the public at large than he who attempts 
 nothing but strictly period work for the few 
 able to pay for it — to say nothing of that class 
 more limited still who are able to appreciate 
 it, for the full value of a work that is consist- 
 ently historic is very seldom appreciated. 
 We all know that a northern exposure gives a 
 room a deficiency of sunlight, and the wall 
 treatment should supply this. A southern 
 room, on the other hand, gives so much sun- 
 light that counteracting wall treatments in 
 cold color are permissible. 
 In the color treatment of a room one has 
 either to adopt a harmony of analogy or a har- 
 mony of contrast, and this is a matter which 
 
Philosophy of Color 
 
 27 
 
 depends upon so many conditions that it 
 should be carefully considered. Where a plate 
 rail is used one must remember that a great 
 deal of color may be furnished by the bric-a- 
 brac, and that the wall should furnish behind 
 this plate rail a suitable background. 
 When we follow a scheme of contrast the bor- 
 ders should be usually complementaries, and 
 if the reader has studied our diagram he 
 will very readily understand how to determine 
 the exact complementary color. For yellow 
 hangings, for instance, violet and blue ; for 
 green hangings, red in all its shades ; for blue 
 hangings, orange and yellow. 
 The wainscoting or dado should be the same 
 as the top border or frieze, but of a darker tone. ^^^^^ 
 The intermixture of white or black is always Dado 
 permissible ; thus a paper as a side-wall might 
 have as its frieze the complementary coloring 
 with more white, while the wainscoting or dado 
 should be the same with black added. 
 The cornice is, of course, lighter than the bor- 
 der, and its members may show several tints, 
 with the ceiling lighter still. 
 As a rule the color of the chair coverings 
 should be the complementary of the side- walls. 
 
28 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 and the color of the furniture frames should 
 be complementary to the wainscoting ; so by 
 following this rule we find that the wainscot- 
 ing serves as a contrasting background to the 
 chair frame, which is always desirable. 
 Let us imagine a room wherein the side-walls 
 are of a reddish tint ; the wainscoting being a 
 complementary color, is of a greenish cast, 
 like old Spanish leather or olive wood. Now, 
 the furniture, let us say, is mahogany. That 
 means it is of a reddish brown, and it stands 
 out in contrast to the wainscoting, while the 
 chair covering, being greenish in contrast to 
 the chair frame, it is also in contrast to the 
 side-wall. Here we have, then, the color re- 
 lations of side-wall, wainscoting and furniture- 
 frames and covering; but it is undesirable 
 that these tones should be alike. 
 The rules cover the principle, but the man 
 must supply the judgment. 
 The wainscoting, or dado, in such a case as the 
 above is of a deep tone of the frieze, and the 
 side -wall proper is complementary to the 
 green before it is lightened for the frieze or 
 darkened for the dado. 
 
 The vital point we would impress is that. 
 
of Color 
 
 29 
 
 knowing the character of the furniture in the 
 room, you start with a properly contrasting 
 wainscoting and build from that. 
 
 7. TKe Related Parts of a Room. 
 
 'T^HE carpet should enter into the color 
 scheme as the low note in the scale. It is 
 the background for the furniture, and should 
 be of a softer tone than the wainscoting. The 
 woodwork, baseboard, doors, moldings, plate 
 rails, and everything of that character, except 
 it be the picture molding, should be like the 
 woodwork of the furniture. This brings the 
 woodwork into contrast with the wainscoting 
 and into harmony with the side-walls, although 
 the degree of harmony is far removed. Thus, 
 if the woodwork of the furniture is mahogany, 
 the wainscoting green, the side-walls pink and 
 gray, we would find the window frame also of 
 
30 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 mahogany, or imitation mahogany, in har- 
 mony with the side-walls. I would lay down 
 the rule that the wood trims of a room should 
 harmonize by analogy with the side-walls where 
 such walls are provided with a contrasting 
 wainscoting; but if there is no wainscoting 
 then the order of things is changed. There is 
 one less color factor in the furnishing of the 
 scheme, and the furniture of the room being 
 then in contrast with the side-walls, instead of in 
 contrast with the wainscoting, necessitates that 
 the wood trims of the room, which must har- 
 monize with the furniture, must also be in 
 contrast with the side-walls. 
 The picture molding may harmonize with the 
 ceiling. Indeed, a white picture molding 
 frequently is better than one matching the 
 general woodwork, because a dark upper 
 molding reduces the apparent size of a room. 
 Where black furniture is used, or gold furni- 
 ture, it will, of course, be understood that the 
 wood trims shall not be black or gold ; but so 
 long as they are in harmony, that will be suffi- 
 cient. The idea, however, of painting the 
 woodwork in a fresh color is, to my mind, ex- 
 ecrable. The woodwork may be in tones of 
 
of Color 
 
 31 
 
 gray, or in natural wood tones, but never in 
 pronounced color. 
 To summarize : 
 First, 
 
 The side-walls, the furniture-woodwork, wood 
 trimming, and the curtains should be related. 
 Second, 
 
 The frieze, wainscoting or dado, chair uphol- 
 sterings and the curtain borders should be 
 related. 
 
 The Second Class should be in tones comple- 
 mentary to the First. 
 
 Should the curtains have no borders, then the 
 curtains contrast with the wood trims. 
 Suppose your furniture frames are of ash, or 
 grayish yellow : the frieze should be a violet ; 
 the side-walls, yellow ; the wainscoting, deep 
 violet ; the furniture, grayish yellow or ash 
 upholstered with pale violet ; the wood trims, 
 of a deep tone of ash ; the curtains, deep yel- 
 low, with a border of deep violet. If we pre- 
 serve these relations it would be an easy 
 matter to plan almost any color scheme and 
 succeed. Deep violet is simply violet to which 
 black has been added, and if violet combines 
 with yellow, a deep violet would combine with 
 
32 
 
 Philosophy of Color 
 
 a deep yellow. If we find that the tone of 
 color of the wainscoting, for instance, is a 
 bluish green, the side-wall should be of a red- 
 dish orange, for the reason that if green con- 
 trasts with red and if blue contrasts with 
 orange, a bluish green would contrast with a 
 reddish orange ; but, as it is impracticable to 
 change the color of your furniture, it is al- 
 ways advisable to start the color scheme with 
 furniture and let other things harmonize there- 
 with . Harmony is simply a pleasing ensemble^ 
 the arrangement of parts between which there 
 is affinity. 
 
 8. The Use of WHite, Gray and BlacK. 
 
 'T'O PLACE white by the side of a color 
 heightens or intensifies the tone of that 
 color. To put black beside a color has the 
 opposite effect. It weakens the color. With- 
 out explaining the reason for this, we would 
 
Philosophy ^?/Color 
 
 35 
 
 call attention to the obvious fact which has 
 been long known to women. Every woman 
 looks better in white, hence white is the 
 universal wedding gown, the universal party 
 dress for children, and, wherever practicable, 
 the universal Summer dress for adults as 
 well. White is worn universally by men and 
 women next the face, in collars or in neck- 
 wear, and the reason for it is that to even 
 those of a pallid complexion the contiguous 
 white shows up whatever little color one may 
 possess. Black, on the other hand, lessens 
 the color and lowers its tone. We mention 
 these examples to impress the fact that white 
 is a desirable combination in rooms of sombre 
 colorings. 
 
 On the other hand, gray is a medium be- 
 tween the two. While it renders an adjacent 
 color less brilliant, at the same time it takes 
 to itself a tint that is a complementary of that 
 adjacent color. In other words, gray by the 
 side of green appears a pinkish. Hence, if 
 one wishes to obtain this pinkish tint in the 
 gray as a complementary to green, it is not 
 necessary to tint the gray ; it gets this tint by 
 reflection. These are simple facts which are 
 
36 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 worth remembering, especially at this time, 
 when so much Colonial furnishing is under- 
 taken and white woodwork is used, and so 
 much Dutch furnishing is undertaken, requir- 
 ing dull woodwork, and so much of the Arts 
 and Crafts sort of thing is being done, re- 
 quiring weathered oak or gray woodwork. 
 Where one associates colors with white the 
 result is what you might call a simple con- 
 trast, inasmuch as we obtain an effect of the 
 combination intensified by the proximity of 
 the white. 
 
 The use of dull tones or dark colors reduces 
 the apparent size of a room by darkening it, 
 but this may be sometimes obviated by keep- 
 i^g and*^" the picture rail of a light color. Indeed, a 
 Receding room apparently small is given the appearance 
 Colors greater size by the use of a white picture 
 
 molding. 
 
 Remember that sombre or heavy colors are 
 "advancing" colors; they seem to come at 
 you; while light tones are "receding," and 
 give distance effect ; hence, receding colors 
 should be used in narrow or small rooms. 
 Black is always desirable as an associate with 
 luminous colors, although with some sombre 
 
of Color 
 
 37 
 
 TJs« 
 of 
 
 colors, such as blue and violet, black assists 
 in the making of a pleasing harmony of anal- 
 ogy. Black does not associate so well with 
 two colors one of which is luminous and the 
 other sombre, as when associated with two 
 luminous colors. White is preferable when BiacK 
 associated with a luminous and a sombre color. 
 Thus, red, white and blue, orange, white and 
 blue, red, white and violet, orange, white and 
 violet, yellow, white and blue, green, white 
 and blue, green, white and violet. Remem- 
 ber this in the use of Colonial plate rails. 
 
 /^NE thing I would have the decorator dis- 
 miss from his mind, and that is the asso- 
 ciation of certain colors with certain woods. 
 You mention mahogany to some men and 
 they immediately think of green as the right 
 complementary. If you speak of oak, they 
 think of blue ; but it is not a matter so easily 
 settled. 
 
 True, if mahogany is of a reddish-brown tint, 
 a certain shade of green is properly called for ; 
 but there are shades of mahogany, light and 
 dark, vivid and dull ; and one must con- 
 sider also relative surface influence. Is it a 
 
 Wood 
 Colors 
 
38 
 
 Philosophy of Color 
 
 mere narrow strip of wood or a broad section ? 
 Presuming that the mahogany is of a pro- 
 nounced reddish shade of brown, green is not 
 necessarily the only thing to go with it ; pos- 
 sibly a fabric of variegated color treatment 
 might be used — reds, yellows, blues, greens, 
 a perfect garden of coloring, providing always 
 that green, the complementary tone of the 
 mahogany-red, shall predominate. 
 The subject also involves questions of fit- 
 ness as well as harmony ; a banker's office and 
 a lady's reception-room may be both mahogany 
 trimmed, but should be treated in different 
 color-ways. Above all, do not allow your per- 
 sonal color-sympathies to dominate your work. 
 In everyone's nature there exists a color tone ; 
 there are some of us who run to reds, and as 
 we have no love for blue, we seldom employ 
 it, but we must know that all colors have 
 their usefulness, for there are occasions where 
 it is proper they should be used, apart from 
 any question of harmony ; one must consider 
 always the uses of colors, the lights, and the 
 purpose of the room under treatment. 
 
9. Color by Scale. 
 
 TN COLOR, as in music, discords result 
 from ignorance of the commonplace rules 
 of harmony. 
 
 Music is the result of a system of three 
 fundamental chords which contain all the 
 tones properly belonging to the Scale of that 
 mode. These chords are the tonic, the domi- 
 nant and the subdominant. We have a simi- 
 lar completeness of Scale in color tone, and 
 the most serious mistake which the colorist 
 perpetrates is failure to observe the quality of 
 his Scale. He conceives, for instance, a com- 
 bination of red and green, or orange and blue ; 
 but he is seldom able to determine the exact 
 shade of either. 
 
 It is an easy matter to do this if we bear 
 in mind that as the tuning fork gives a fixed 
 tone in music, so the spectrum gives the fixed 
 tone in color. 
 
 We have through the spectrum a fixed yel- 
 
Philosophy of Color 
 
 41 
 
 low, red and blue ; they are the primary 
 colors; by combining any two of them we 
 have the fixed secondary colors ; by combin- 
 ing any two of the secondary colors we have 
 the tertiaries. 
 
 All are thus in the same color scale. 
 At this point it is well to emphasize the 
 facts as shown in diagram, page 13. Red is in 
 direct contrast to the opposite color, green, 
 which is made up by combining the other 
 two primaries, blue and yellow. In the same 
 manner one may discover by the diagram that 
 orange, marked 2 (because a secondary color), 
 is in direct contrast with slate, marked 3 (be- 
 cause a tertiary color), made by combining 
 violet and green, the other two secondary 
 colors. These nine colors are of the natural 
 scale ; they start from the color keynote in the 
 spectrum. 
 
 In music the scale is a succession of notes 
 arranged in the order of pitch, and a piece 
 of music is written in a given pitch. The 
 scale consists of a series of seven steps lead- 
 ing from a given note. In color, the scale is in 
 the same order of pitch, and a color compo- 
 sition, to be either in harmony of analogy or 
 
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44 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 contrast, should follow a given key and inva- 
 riably be in the same scale. 
 If we have a pink and wish to carry a color 
 scale in harmony therewith, we must deter- 
 mine first how much white was added to the 
 primary red to make it a pink, and adding a 
 similar quantity of white to the other primary 
 colors, blue and yellow, we easily obtain the 
 secondaries and tertiaries. 
 If instead of pink the red is of a deep shade 
 requiring added black, the same process is 
 followed. 
 
 On the other hand, if the colors under 
 consideration are neither primaries, secon- 
 daries nor tertiaries, but mixed colors, like a 
 crimson, we must proceed to obtain the scale 
 of such a color in a different manner. (See 
 diagram, page 13.) 
 
 For example, let us presume that we have 
 crimson and we wish the scale of crimson. 
 Crimson is a variation of red. It is made by 
 adding a little blue. If to the red a little 
 yellow is added instead of blue, the color 
 would be scarlet; if a little more yellow is 
 added it would be orange. If we bear the 
 diagram in mind we find the subject much 
 
of Color 
 
 45 
 
 simplified. The diagram is divided first into 
 the primary colors, red, blue and yellow, each 
 occupy ng one-third. If the red territory of 
 one-third trespasses a little upon the blue ter- 
 ritory and absorbs just that much of the blue 
 character, it becomes crimson or reddish violet 
 (R. V.) ; if the yellow is moved up to the same 
 degree over the red it becomes a yellowish 
 orange (Y. O.); if the blue is moved in the 
 same degree over the yellow territory it be- 
 comes bluish green (B. G.). Hence the pri- 
 mary scale of crimson would be crimson or 
 red violet, yellowish orange and bluish green. 
 In the same way we determine the color 
 scale of any other given hue. One must 
 always establish the scale of color by fixing 
 definitely one tint, shade or hue ; the rest is 
 a matter of rule. 
 
 We would not be understood for a moment 
 as meaning that the work of the colorist 
 is merely mechanical. The influences of color 
 are very largely the result of proportions ; the 
 scale of color is law, but the effects are pro- 
 duced by what in music we call expression. 
 
46 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 O ECALLING that the primary colors are 
 yellow, red and blue, and that the second- 
 ary colors are orange, violet and green, and 
 that the tertiary colors are russet, slate and 
 citrine, let us arrange a series of six rooms 
 seriatim, so treating ceiling, side-wall and 
 floor that in passing from one room to the 
 other they will be in sequence of color har- 
 mony — each complete from floor to ceiling and 
 all in harmony along the ceiUng lines, the 
 wall lines and the floor lines. (Diagram on 
 page 40.) 
 
 We will take the first room, the third and 
 the fifth room in harmonies of the three 
 primiary colors top and bottom, with second- 
 ary colors along the side-walls. Thus, the 
 first room would have yellow frieze, red floor, 
 with the side-wall in the secondary color, 
 orange, or the color made up by combining 
 yellow and red, and here we have a complete 
 harmony. The third room has red in the 
 frieze, blue on the floor and for the side-wall 
 the secondary color, violet, which is made 
 up by combining red and blue. So with the 
 fifth room, we have blue at the top, yellow 
 at the bottom and a green side-wall. 
 
of Color 
 
 47 
 
 Now, to go back, we will use the second- 
 ary color nearest to yellow, which is the 
 frieze of the first room, for the frieze of the 
 second room, violet, the nearest secondary to 
 red, for the floor, and russet, the tertiary color 
 made by combining orange and violet, as the 
 side-wall. So with the fourth room ; we have 
 violet and green top and bottom, both second- 
 ary colors, with slate on the side-wall; and in 
 the sixth room we have green at the top, 
 orange at the bottom and citrine on the side- 
 wall. Thus we have the three tertiary colors, 
 the three secondary colors and the three pri- 
 mary colors in the six rooms, and used in such 
 a way that there is a complete harmony. 
 It will be noticed by inspection of the dia- 
 gram that this is not an accidental arrange- 
 ment. If you put the sixth room by the side 
 of the first room you will find that orange is a 
 direct line of color along the floor of the sixth 
 room, the side-wall of the first room and the 
 frieze of the second. You will notice that in 
 the second room violet starts on the floor, it 
 continues on the side-wall of the third room 
 and is the frieze color of the fourth room. 
 If you take the fourth room, green is at 
 
48 
 
 Philosophy 0/ Color 
 
 the bottom ; it is again on the side-wall of the 
 fifth room and is at the top of the sixth room. 
 This diagram is useful for many reasons. 
 In its present shape it shows the harmonies of 
 analogy or related parts. To arrange har- 
 monies of contrast combine the colors of the 
 first room with the fourth room, the colors of 
 the second room with the fifth room, the colors 
 of the third room with the sixth room. 
 We then find yellow and violet in har- 
 mony ; orange and slate, red and green, orange 
 and blue, russet and green, violet and yellow, 
 violet and citrine. 
 
lO. As Affecting Room Proportions. 
 
 "^TOTHING perplexes the decorator more 
 than the treatment of a long parlor in 
 the average city house, for in most cases the 
 proportions and the light are so bad that it is 
 difficult to do anything that doesn't narrow 
 the dimensions still further. In some in- 
 stances the length is broken by pillars and 
 overhead grille work, so as to make two rooms 
 of the one. But when this scheme is imprac- 
 ticable or disapproved the straight-line narrow- 
 ness of the room can be altered by a judicious 
 arrangement of the furniture and colors. 
 In obtaining proportion effects one must al- 
 ways start from some standpoint. The first 
 view of any room is from the main or princi- 
 pal entrance, and as first impressions are im- 
 portant, let us consider the arrangement of a 
 room viewed from the main entrance. 
 Wide effect and distance effect are obtained 
 
Philosophy 
 
 best by arranging the smallest pieces at the 
 furthest point. 
 
 It is the same with pictures. While a room 
 wants to be balanced, and the pictures placed 
 in a manner to give this result, it is best, 
 where possible, to keep the large pictures, 
 large effects, always nearest the eye. The 
 crowding of large pieces at the furthest point 
 diminishes the apparent size of the room. 
 The use of reds, orange or yellow, or any warm 
 colors, is to be avoided, for the use of any such 
 colors known as advancing colors also dimin- 
 ishes the apparent size of the room. 
 We note this in the gray-blue of the sky, 
 which appears to be at an incomprehensible 
 distance, compared with the red and golden 
 sunsets, which frequently look close at hand. 
 Receding colors in the furniture, the fabrics, 
 the walls, the pictures, all help. Sharp con- 
 trasts in colors lessen distance. Continuous 
 design in ceiling or carpet weakens the size 
 effect ; hence rugs which break the continuity 
 and are laid across the room instead of length- 
 wise are preferable. 
 
 It is a safe rule to do a small or narrow room 
 in harmonies of analogy or related colors, 
 
1 
 
of Color 
 
 51 
 
 colors of a light tone, and receding colors. 
 Apart from any effect which color may have 
 decoratively or pictorially, its value cannot be 
 overestimated, as it applies to the laws of pro- 
 portion. 
 
 Advancing colors are colors which contain red 
 and yellow in the ascendancy ; receding colors 
 are those which contain blue in the ascend- 
 ancy. Of the three primary colors red and 
 yellow would be advancing colors ; blue would 
 be a receding color. Green in its purity, be- 
 ing half yellow and half blue, is almost neu- 
 tral. In the same way violet, being made up 
 of half red and half blue, is theoretically neu- 
 tral, although the blue tone is more assertive 
 than the red and makes the color in the deeper 
 shades rather sombre. 
 
 Of the secondaries, orange is an advancing 
 color ; so also is violet in the shades approach- 
 ing red ; green in the shades approaching 
 yellow. 
 
 Of the tertiary colors russet is an advancing 
 color, because while it contains some blue in 
 the violet of its composition, it contains a pre- 
 ponderance of red and orange ; citrine is an 
 advancing color, because while it contains 
 
52 
 
 Philosophy o/* Color 
 
 some blue in the green of its composition, it 
 contains a preponderance of yellow and 
 orange; slate is a receding color, because 
 while it contains some yellow in the green of 
 its composition, it contains a preponderance 
 of blue ; in the same way plum may be re- 
 garded as an advancing color, because of its 
 preponderance of red ; buff is an advancing 
 color, because of its preponderance of yellow ; 
 sage is a receding color, because of its pre- 
 ponderance of blue. 
 
 The room that is small should not be made 
 smaller by the use of advancing colors, or 
 colors which seem to come at you and bring 
 things that are treated therewith into closer 
 range. There are cases where a small room 
 has a northern exposure, and while expedient 
 to treat such a room in warm colors to supply 
 the deficiency of sunlight, it is inexpedient for 
 the reason that such colors make a room 
 look smaller. Under such circumstances 
 treat the room in light tones, gray preferred, 
 and get the deficiency of sunlight through the 
 warm tone in the lace curtains. 
 
11. Color of Contigviovis Rooms. 
 
 A VITAL point in the use of color, re- 
 garded usually with indifference or 
 totally misunderstood, is the Unity of Com- 
 position to be preserved in the treatment of a 
 suite of rooms ; for on each floor of a house 
 the conditions of light vary. As we ascend 
 the stairs we find each floor requires an 
 altered treatment. Moreover, in the arrange- 
 ment of a floor the relation of one room to 
 another is frequently so influential that no 
 one room should be treated without due con- 
 sideration to the adjacent apartment. 
 Too frequently the whole question of color is 
 dismissed when the matter of north or south 
 exposure is discovered, but the north room on 
 the lower floor of a house is by no means so 
 well lighted as the north room of the fourth 
 or fifth floor, and the scale of color which 
 
54 
 
 Philosophy Color 
 
 would lend warmth to such a room would be 
 weak in a more exposed apartment. 
 Where the artist has but one room to con- 
 sider there is little scope for his application 
 of color knowledge. He must frequently 
 compromise to meet the conditions. But 
 presuming that he must treat a floor through, 
 he should adopt a Unity which will apply 
 harmoniously to all the rooms and hallways. 
 Thus, in the lower floor he must arrange his 
 colors so that while they moderate the direct 
 glare of a sunny exposure or brighten the 
 cheerlessness of a north light, they shall also 
 form a composition that pleases when seen 
 from a point of common observation. The 
 three-color composition is always desirable. 
 The hallway green, the front parlor yellow, the 
 back parlor red, would form a treatment which 
 would give satisfaction always, for the view 
 of the side-walls from any point would be in 
 harmony. Ascending, however, the scale of 
 color should be always softened, for the yellow 
 or ivory tints that are pleasing on the first 
 floor would be harsh and glaring on the upper 
 floors. Exterior conditions as well as interior 
 floor plans must be borne always in mind. 
 
12. Color Harmony by Progression. 
 
 npHE harmony of analogy is a subject that 
 is little understood. The harmony of re- 
 lated color is usually regarded as the harmony 
 of tints or shades, whereas it may be color 
 sequence, seriation, development or succes- 
 sion. 
 
 Thus we may combine red, green and blue by 
 starting with crimson and maintaining the fol- 
 lowing sequence : crimson, red, scarlet, orange, 
 yellow, greenish yellow, green, bluish green, 
 blue, violet, and with added red get back to 
 crimson. 
 
 A room or a series of rooms may run to all 
 colors and be still a harmony of analogy if the 
 sequence or succession is gradual. 
 No more delightful harmonies can be imagined 
 than those provided by nature. One may start 
 
56 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 with the brown of the earth and run into sev- 
 eral shades of green, and from that touch upon 
 yellow, and from yellow to orange, and from 
 orange to red, and red to violet and violet to 
 the blue of the sky. 
 
 Green and yellow seem common to all nature 
 Color tints. Blue is the color reflected from the 
 Scale heavens. In the home nothing is more pleas- 
 ing than the harmony of sequence. 
 In speaking of colors one does not necessarily 
 mean primary colors, but whatever they are 
 they must be of the same scale if applied to a 
 surface upon which the light is evenly distrib- 
 uted. Inasmuch as all houses are subject to 
 the influence of a north or south light, or 
 darkened places, an exception to this surface 
 rule must be observed. Thus the ceilings and 
 the upper parts of a wall require more white 
 where more light is needed. On the floor, 
 however, where the greatest light falls, a little 
 black may be added to soften the tone. 
 Red and green are sharply contrasting colors ; 
 violet and yellow and blue and orange con- 
 trast sharply ; but it will be seen that in the 
 diagram presented on page 43 these contrast 
 ing tones are not in contact. 
 
of Color 
 
 57 
 
 Yellow, orange, red, violet, blue and green are 
 related ; orange, russet, violet, slate, green and 
 citrine are related; red, violet, blue, green, 
 yellow and orange are related. Viewing the 
 ceilings, the side-walls or the floor, there is 
 the harmony of seriation that we observe in 
 the tinting of a flower. Viewed collectively 
 the harmony is the same. 
 To illustrate further our point we would take 
 the ceiling line. We start with yellow, a pri- 
 mary color ; orange possesses yellow ; orange 
 likewise possesses red, the adjoining color; 
 violet possesses red, and it likewise possesses 
 blue. On the side-wall, russet possesses 
 orange, and it also possesses violet ; it is the 
 tertiary color made of these two secondaries. 
 Slate is made of green and violet, and is 
 thus also related to citrine. 
 We do not wish it understood that these col- 
 ors are to be applied flat, but simply in the 
 predominating expression. 
 The value of the diagram is obvious when one 
 considers that in no particular is there a break 
 in the sequence ; but if we wish a harmony of 
 analogy in a room, or a harmony of related 
 parts, and wish the adjoining room to be in 
 
Philosophy of Color 
 
 59 
 
 absolute contrast, we simply adopt the red, 
 violet and blue for one room, and the green, 
 citrine and orange for another ; or the orange, 
 russet and violet for one room, and the blue, 
 green and yellow for the other. If, however, 
 the seriation or sequence of color is desirable 
 where we move from one apartment to an- 
 other and the eye is pleased by a gradual 
 changing color, we can adopt any of these 
 combinations in the order as presented. 
 The value of this plan may be very easily un- 
 derstood in laying out the color harmonies for 
 a series of rooms. Starting from a central 
 point, the color must assume an ascending 
 scale on the one side and a descending scale 
 on the other. Viewed from the extreme ends 
 of the apartment, you have the entire range of 
 color. 
 
 Thus from the hallway in our diagram at the 
 bottom of page 58 let us turn to the left or 
 right and we have a complete progressive color 
 harmony. The hallway would be orange, 
 citrine and green (see page 40) ; the library 
 would be red, orange and yellow ; to the left 
 we have the color combinations 5, 4 and 3. 
 
13. PsycKolog'ic Effect of Color. 
 
 "^^^E CAN feel the softening influences of 
 certain color treatments, and the ex- 
 citing and disturbing influences of sharp con- 
 trasts. We know that those colors which are 
 strongest in direct sun rays, like red and 
 orange, arouse us, where the blues and violets 
 give somnolence. We can feel the power, as 
 with music, but we cannot determine the 
 the cause. Professor Palmer, of Harvard 
 University, in discussing the subject, asks : 
 ** Why is it that red is recognized, by man 
 and beast, as the color of violence, danger and 
 passion } " 
 
 " Why is green soothing to the senses } " 
 
 " Why does blue quiet the nerves, and violet 
 
 exercise a tranquilizing effect ? " 
 
 There is no doubt of the fact that nature 
 
 provides vast fields of green because most 
 
Philosophy of Color 
 
 6i 
 
 favorable in its effects upon humanity. From 
 time immemorial we have had red as the ex- 
 citing color ; it is the "danger" light; it is 
 the barbaric color — the war color — the vice 
 color. Professor Fere, of Paris, and Professor 
 Giardini cite innumerable instances of the 
 effects of red light. A man, for instance, ex- 
 posed for a few minutes to its influence will 
 show a muscular development fifty per cent, 
 in excess of his power when exposed to blue 
 light. Professor Fere is confirmed in these 
 conclusions by Pritchard Davies and Munster- 
 berg, which authorities are quoted by Pro- 
 fessor Palmer. 
 
 If a positive physical influence is exerted, 
 as proven in the above experiment, how much 
 more reasonable may we regard the theory 
 that the senses and the temperament are 
 affected t We have, in this country, expe- 
 rienced the "blue glass" craze. We know 
 that smallpox is subjected to the " red room " 
 treatment, and we know that the exclusion of 
 the blue and violet shades from a patient 
 suffering cutaneous disease reduces the irrita- 
 tion of the skin. Professor Regnault, of 
 Paris, in an article recently published tells of 
 
62 
 
 Philosophy of Color 
 
 innumerable instances where blue and violet 
 rays are used successfully in the treatment of 
 nervous disorders, and where red is success- 
 fully employed for melancholia. 
 It is within the probabihties of the near 
 future that we will have color music as we 
 now have sound melody. The vast millions 
 are susceptible to the influence, and in matters 
 decorative a full and broad knowledge and 
 appreciation of the subject is a requisite to 
 success. 
 
14'. Color by Periods. 
 
 ' I ^HE student in decorative art is so fre- 
 quently confronted by the color problem, 
 that doubtless he has often felt the need of a 
 color chart, arranged by periods. 
 The idea appears on its face reasonable, but 
 on reflection it is impossible. Color always 
 has been and always will be dictated by na- 
 tional or personal temperament, whim, terri- 
 torial condition or home surroundings ; and 
 no fashion can ever arbitrarily fix its use. We 
 understand color as strong, primary or bar- 
 baric when associated with the Eastern coun- 
 tries or with the age of masculinity, crusade, 
 warfare or conquest, as opposed to the age of 
 ruffles and laces and diletanteism. 
 But this theory is not infallible. 
 In the time of Louis XIV and Louis XV the 
 
64 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 work of La Pautre, Marrot and Berain was 
 unusually vigorous, and embraced every color 
 combination possible to the imagination; so 
 also the period of Louis XVL The Palace of 
 Fontainbleau and Petit Trianon were in some 
 features gorgeous in color. We associate with 
 Marie Antoinette the simple stripe effects 
 and delicate florals, but we doubt if there is 
 anything more elaborate in the arts of the 
 Eighteenth Century than the resplendent col- 
 orings of her palace apartments. 
 The works of Fragonard and De Wailley were 
 exceedingly masculine, and far removed from 
 the character of the work of Lalonde and 
 Salembier, who were mainly for the more sim- 
 ple forms. 
 
 In the early days the Egyptians used sharp 
 blacks, golds and primary colors, and we are 
 told that strong contrasts were necessary, be- 
 cause of the glare of the dazzling sunshine ; 
 and that they were required to separate the 
 architectural details of a building, which, with 
 less powerful contrasts, would be indistin- 
 guishable, and yet in Oriental countries we 
 find that strongly contrasting colors were used 
 for the opposite reason — because agreeable 
 
of Color 
 
 65 
 
 under the softening influence of dimly lighted 
 surroundings. 
 
 We see the flat colors of the Greek, Etruscan 
 and Pompeiian age and we imagine they are 
 typical of the period, but we must consider 
 that what we have to-day of the examples of 
 that period have faded and are emasculated, 
 and that the more authentic the example, the 
 more aged it is, and hence the more weakened 
 in color character. 
 
 The decorative periods were affected so direct- 
 ly by the territorial conditions of the past, 
 which means temperament, as well as atmos- 
 pheric influences, that it is unwise to apply 
 arbitrarily any period theory to a country as 
 vast as the United States. 
 As we utilize certain colors for the north room 
 and certain other colors for the south room, 
 and as we supply a deficiency of sunlight by 
 the use of gold and yellow, so also certain 
 phases of color are effective in London or 
 Pittsburg, which would be garish elsewhere. 
 We cannot lift the colorings from the Equator 
 and move them to latitude forty-two and get 
 the same effect. We must consider broadly 
 the character of our environments. 
 
66 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 If our furniture is white and gold, it is clearly 
 evident that the colorings should be soft and 
 harmonious. If we adopt the dark teakwood 
 of India or the deep brown of Holland, our 
 color scheme again changes. The preponder- 
 ance of white in Colonial rooms was due to 
 architectural conditions. White illuminates ; 
 and in the days when our ceilings were no 
 higher than seven and a-half feet, and our 
 windows were small, the room needed an arti- 
 ficial light, and white supplied this; conse- 
 quently, by its general use, we regard white 
 as a characteristic of Colonial decoration, but 
 this same characteristic, applied to a twelve- 
 foot ceiling and huge windows, might give 
 unnecessary glare, unless the windows were 
 draped in modification. 
 
 In furnishing an Empire room, the decorators 
 have, little by little, led themselves to believe 
 that what is known as Empire green is the 
 only shade of green that is correct. On the 
 contrary, green was used in the period of the 
 Empire simply because it was in pleasing con- 
 trast with the mahogany and brass. Any 
 green which harmonizes with the shade of 
 woodwork used in an Empire room is permis- 
 
of Color 
 
 67 
 
 sible. If the mahogany is dark, a dark green ; 
 if light, a light green^ so long as it is warm in 
 tone. 
 
 Egyptian decoration was full of gold and bril- 
 liant coloring, and a popular form of combina- 
 tion was the Tryad form : 
 
 Black, yellow and red. 
 
 Red, blue and white. 
 
 Dark blue, light blue and white. 
 
 Cream color, blue and black. 
 
 Dark red, medium yellow and dark turquoise. 
 
 The Greek decorators, who painted in fresco, 
 used white, red, blue, yellow and black in 
 primary tones. Natural marbles were much 
 used in green and red and alabaster, and 
 bronze, gold and isilver. 
 
 The Greeks loved color, and their embroideries 
 were in gold and blue and Tyrian purple. 
 Roman coloring was but a continuance of the 
 Greek, characterized by dark and rich back- 
 grounds, which were frequently black, red or 
 deep yellow and dark blue, on which figures 
 and landscapes, or animals, or groups from 
 still life, were executed in bright colorings or 
 powerful contrasts. Black and white was 
 
68 
 
 Philosophy 
 
 used, and later, when the Byzantine artists 
 and craftsmen found their way to Western 
 Italy, they spread this love of bold coloring, 
 so that at the dawn of the Renaissance we 
 find a return to the Greek and Roman color- 
 ing, which, however, was modified in Eng- 
 land, Germany and Flanders, according, as we 
 have frequently said, to temperamental con- 
 ditions. 
 
 We find, for instance, some forms of Floren- 
 tine decoration, full of yellow, red yellow, 
 blue-greens and bright slate blues. We find 
 that Botticelli used whites, creams, reds and 
 citron greens, with umber tones heightened 
 with gold, and if we examine carefully the Six- 
 teenth and Seventeenth Century Italian bro- 
 cades, which are preserved in the museums, 
 we discover a great preponderance of yellow- 
 green as an ornament on dark violet, or light 
 olive green on dark blue, or dull orange on a 
 crimson brown. 
 
 In furnishing a period room we must use no 
 arbitrary rule in determining our colors. We 
 must apply them intelligently to the condi- 
 tions that exist. 
 
 The Empire period room takes its color in- 
 
of Color 
 
 69 
 
 spiration from the Greek, Roman and Egyp- 
 tian. 
 
 The French Renaissance takes inspiration 
 from the Roman and Greek. 
 The Louis XIV is a development of the Renais- 
 sance, with a conspicuous use of gold. 
 The Louis XV is an elaboration along the 
 same lines. 
 
 The Louis XVI is a simpUfication and a re- 
 turn to the classic. 
 
 The Georgian is largely Roman and Pom- 
 peiian, as expressed by the Transition period 
 that followed Louis XVL 
 
 GreeK and IVoman Color Combinations. 
 
 Yellow and blue, alternating with lines of black. 
 Black and white, alternating with red, blue, purple, 
 yellow. 
 
 Warm white with red in various tones. 
 Black with yellow, ochre and umber tints. 
 Cobalt blue with gray-green, yellow and gray. 
 
 Italian Color Combinations. 
 
 Red, blue and yellow. 
 
 Coral red, ultramarine, orange, amber. 
 
 Scarlet, ochre, green and violet. 
 
 Orange, green and violet, purple, yellow and gray- 
 green. 
 
70 
 
 Philosophy 6?/Color 
 
 In some of the richest early Italian fabrics 
 we find : 
 
 Purple and sage-green ornaments on indigo ground ; 
 outlines in gold. 
 
 Dull crimson, pale blue and chrome yellow ornaments 
 on a dark gray ground. 
 
 Pale yellow-green ornaments on a deep amber ground. 
 
 Dark blue-green, light blue-greenish-yellow and orna- 
 ments on a deep crimson ground. 
 
 Pale greenish-blue ornaments on a dark gray-blue 
 ground, with white and gold picked out in small 
 quantities. 
 
 Emerald green and dull orange ornaments on a dark 
 gray-green ground outlined in gold. 
 
 Here we have the color combinations used 
 generally in the Italian period, which we have 
 followed in some form for 300 years. 
 The Adam style was taken directly from the 
 Pompeiian, but in most cases, instead of hav- 
 ing the Pompeiian solid color background in 
 crimson, with a design lightly executed in 
 gold, or black and gold, he puts the back- 
 ground in the light color, and does the design 
 in the dark. To follow strictly the Pompeiian 
 style would be too garish. 
 
i 
 
GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 
 
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