Fabric Colors in the Renaissance

copyright Historical Novelists Center 1999

Many of the colors that we have nowadays for cloth simply did not exist in the Renaissance -- notably, the aniline dyes of the mid-1800s and those chemical dyes developed since. All of the hues of fabric were organic colors -- madder or cochineal for reds, blues from wode or indigo, and so on. This meant that the colors were generally softer, and almost incapable of clashing as the harsh, vibrant shades of today can.

Whatever the colors may have been, some of them had names so obscure we cannot possibly relate them to any hue. Really, any color could be called Ape's Laugh or Love-Longing! For the writer of fiction, these can add a certain atmosphere, as gallants or lady wrangle over the color for the upholstery or a new doublet. Certainly, men still thought it manly to want to look well, and therefore worried about such things, so it will matter to anyone of the better classes, not merely ladies. To not care is the mark of a peasant lout.

For your ease, we have assembled the names under general hues, with dates for when they were first known or when they were notably fashionable.

REDS:

• Bristol Red -- 1500-1580; 1550-80: a "pleasant" red.
• Scarlet: bright red -- 1522
• Redds -- 1522
• Crimson -- 1522: red
• Murrey -- 1522: mulberry colour; 1550-80: purplish red
• Carnation -- 1547-53; 1550-80: resembling the colour Raw Flesh
• Incarnate -- 1547-53; 1550-80: raw flesh red
• Horseflesh -- 1559, possibly a very dark flesh red, like raw horsemeat
• Blod -- 1547-53, blood red
• Sangyn -- 1550-80: sanguine; blood red
• Ox-Blood -- 1550-80
• Ruby -- 1554
• Gingerline -- 1595, reddish violet
• Lustie-Gallant -- 1550-80: light red; Lustie Gallant -- 1577
• Strammel -- 1575, red
• Amaranth -- 1550-80; a reddish purple
• Pink -- 1522
• Maide's Blush -- 1590, rose color
• Ham-Color -- 1550-80 , possibly the light red of ham
• Soppes-in-Wine -- 1559; it used to be normal to put soppes, pieces of toast or stale bread, in wine, so since all wines are reds, this is probably a lightened shade of wine.

YELLOW-REDS: (the old word for "orange")

• Marigold -- 1559, marigold yellow-orange, probably dyed straight off the flowers
• Orange-Tawney -- 1522: worn often in plays.
• Peach -- 1550-80; deep pinkish orange

BROWNS:

• Russet -- 1512, reddish brown or grey worn by countrymen.
• Puke -- 1522, dirty brown;1550-80
• Sheep's Colour -- 1522; 1550-80; natural
• Tawney -- 1550-80: yellow or golden brown
• Light Tawney -- 1522, light yellowish tan.
• Orange Tawney -- 1550-80: orangish brown
• Lion's Colour -- 1522: tawney, yellowish tan
• Coleur de Roy -- 1531, bright Tawney color worn by the officials and servants of the King of Scotland.
• Dead Spaniard -- 1550-80; pale greyish tan
• Hair: bright tan -- 1550-80
• Maiden Hair -- 1605, bright tan
• Isabella: light buff -- 1550-80
• Brown Bread -- 1550-80, probably the color of whole wheat
• Meal -- 1559; likely the color of some ground grain, which puts it in the very light browns

YELLOWS:

• Yellow -- 1500-1580; used for mourning.
• Primrose -- 1597, pale yellow
• Canary -- 1550-80, warm yellow
• Cane Color -- 1550-80: yellowish tint.
• Straw -- 1578, light yellow
• Ginger -- 1586-87.; possibly the dull yellow of ground ginger, but slight chance it may be a purple related to gingerline

GREENS:

• Lincoln Green -- 1500-1580;1550-80; color used by archers, also named after the town, Lincoln where it originated.
• Popingay Green -- 1522, blue-green.
• Popinjay: Bluish Green -- 1550-80
• Gooseturd Green -- 1577, yellowish green.
• Goose-Turd -- 1550-80; yellowish green.
• Willow -- 1550-80: light green
• Turtle -- 1559; a dulled green
• Pease-Porrige Tawnie -- 1577, a yellowish-brown green
• Verdigris -- 1550-80: the cool bright green of oxidized copper
• Gosling Green -- 1550-80
• Bottle Green: a dark green -- 1550-80
• The Devil in the Head -- 1577, also called Hedge; this might be a shade of green
• Palme -- 1559, possibly a palm green

BLUES:

• Watchet -- 1522; 1550-80: blue
• Milk and Water -- 1550-80; bluish white
• Whey -- 1553, pale bluish colour.
• Whey -- 1550-80: pale whitish blue
• Plunket: light blue -- 1550-80
• Coventry Blue -- very popular color during Elizabeth's reign
• Long Fine Blue -- 1522
• Popongaie Blue -- 1577
• Beans-Blue -- 1550-80: the color of blue bean-blossoms
• Flax-Blue -- 1550-80: flax-flower blue
• Brown-Blue -- 1522, probably a very dull blue
• Biscaye -- 1577, possibly a grey-blue or blue-grey
• Sea-Water -- 1547-53, one suspects a sea-blue
• Water-Color -- 1550-80, possibly a pale, soft blue or grey-blue
• Celestial -- 1559, possibly a sky blue, but anything is possible

GREYS:

• Russet -- 1512, reddish brown or grey worn by countrymen.
• Crane Colour -- 1550-80: greyish white
• Crane -- 1554
• Pearl -- 1559, a very pale grey
• Beggar's Grey -- 1586-87
• Ash -- 1518, used for gowns and kirtles.
• Rat's Colour -- 1518, dull grey, worn by poor people; 1550-80; Rat,1586-87
• Light Greye -- 1522
• Dove-Grey -- 1550-80
• Gentlemen's Grey -- 1586-87
• Iron Grey -- 1522; dark grey
• Chimney-Sweep -- 1550-80, possibly charcoal or sooty grey
• Dawn -- 1550-80, possibly a pale soft warm grey or pinkish grey
• Argentine -- 1550-80, possibly a silver grey

MYSTERIES

• Marble -- 1522
• Sad New Colour -- 1522; "sad" meant dulled or dark, the opposite of bright and light.
• Motley -- 1522; a mixed color, what we would call a color-patterned weave.
• Old Medley -- 1554; "medley" is another word meaning "mixture"; might be a color-patterned weave or a tweed.
• Turkey -- 1547-53
• Partridge -- 1586-87
• Pheasant -- 1586-87
• Drake -- 1559
• Brasell -- 1559
• Clay -- 1559; we think of clay as a dull light red, but clays can be dirty white, dirty yellow, warm grey, or even grey-green
• Flybert -- 1559
• Syamon -- 1559; could be a variant of Synamon, cinnamon, or something completely unrelated
• Croyde -- 1522
• Mostyns -- 1522
• Friar Colour -- 1522; grey or brown
• Pansy -- 1550-80; brown, blue, yellow, or dull purple.
• Flowering Rye -- 1550-80
• Judas-Color -- 1550-80; possibly a sandy reddish yellow
• Love-Longing -- 1550-80
• Resurrection -- 1550-80
• Kiss-Me-Darling -- 1550-80
• Dying Monkey -- 1550-80
• Mortal Sin -- 1550-80
• Merry Widow -- 1550-80
• Fading Flower -- 1550-80
• Smoked Ox -- 1550-80
• Tristami -- 1550-80
• Ape's Laugh -- 1550-80
• Cristalline -- 1550-80
• Scratch Face -- 1550-80