Buff () is a light

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

ish

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...

ous colour, typical of buff leather. Buff is a mixture of yellow ochre and

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

: two parts of white lead and one part of yellow ochre produces a good buff, or white lead may be tinted with French ochre alone. As an RYB quaternary colour, it is the colour produced by an equal mix of the tertiary colours

citron The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick Peel (fruit), rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the Citrus taxonomy#Citrons, original citrus fruits from which al ...

and russet.

Etymology

The first recorded use of the word ''buff'' to describe a colour was in ''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'', known generally as ''The Gazette'', is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, i ...

'' of 1686, describing a uniform to be "...a Red Coat with a Buff-colour'd lining". It referred to the colour of undyed buffalo leather, such as soldiers wore as some protection: an eyewitness to the death in the Battle of Edgehill (1642) of Sir Edmund Verney noted "he would neither put on arms rmouror buff coat the day of the battle". Such buff leather was suitable for '' buffing'' or serving as a '' buffer'' between polished objects. It is not clear which bovine "''buffalo''" referred to, but it may not have been any of the animals called "buffalo" today.

Derived terms

The word ''buff'' meaning " enthusiast" or "expert" (US English) derives from the colour "buff", specifically from the buff-coloured uniform facings of 19th-century New York City volunteer firemen, who inspired partisan followers among particularly keen fire watchers. "In the buff", today meaning naked, originally applied to English soldiers wearing the buff leather

tunic A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

that was their uniform until the 17th century. The "naked" signification is due to the perception that (English) skin is buff-coloured.

In nature

Geology

Sand, rock, and

loess A loess (, ; from ) is a clastic rock, clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loesses or similar deposition (geology), deposits. A loess ...

tend to be buff in many areas. File:Sand Drawings.JPG, Buff sand File:Short Cliff - geograph.org.uk - 881661.jpg, Buff rock at the top of a cliff File:LoessVicksburg.jpg, Buff

Natural selection

Because buff is effective in

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

, it is often naturally selected. File:AB Keeled Scales.jpg, Buff bands on a snake File:Phalera bucephala MHNT.jpg, A moth with buff wingtips ('' Phalera bucephala'') File:Phalera bucephala, Mondvogel 6.JPG, The buff wingtips of this moth aid in camouflage. File:Panellus_stipticus_8445.jpg, Buff

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

Many

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

are named for their buff markings, including the buff arches moth, the buff-bellied climbing mouse, and at least sixty birds, including the buff-fronted quail-dove, the buff-vented bulbul, and the buff-spotted flufftail. File:Nomascus-gabriellae.jpg, A pair of northern buffed-cheeked gibbons File:Buff-banded Rail LEI Jan08.jpg, The buff-banded rail File:Theristicus caudatus (Coclí) (5145728595).jpg, The buff-necked ibis File:Tangara cayana1.jpg, The burnished-buff tanager

In culture

Architecture

In areas where buff raw materials are available, buff walls and buildings may be found.

Cotswold stone The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

is an example of such a material, as is Cream City brick. File:The Street - geograph.org.uk - 350549.jpg, Traditional buff stone buildings File:Poplar, Follett Street, E14 (1) - geograph.org.uk - 934243.jpg, Modern buff brick buildings (centre) File:Milwaukee_July_2023_105_(Turner_Hall).jpg, Cream City brick

Stationery and art

Unless bleached or dyed, paper products, such as Manila paper, tend to be buff. Buff

envelope An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter (message), letter or Greeting card, card. Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one o ...

s are used extensively in commercial mailings. File:Manila papier.jpg, Manila paper File:SayilmisSecimZarflari.JPG, Buff envelopes Buff paper is sometimes favoured by artists seeking a neutral background colour for drawings, especially those featuring the colour white. File:Portrait of a gentleman by Sir Peter Lely.jpg, Red and white chalk portrait on buff paper File:Waterfall at Tivoli by George Hayter.jpg, Black chalk with brown wash, heightened with white on buff paper File:Tour de St Romain Rouen cathedral by William Froome Smallwood.jpg, Graphite drawing with watercolour wash on buff paper

Artificial selection

Buff domesticated animals and plants have been created, including dogs, cats, and poultry. The word ''buff'' is used in written standards of several

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

s, and some, such as the Buff turkey, are specifically named "buff". File:American Cocker Spaniel buff portrait.jpg, A buff

gun dog Gun dogs (gundogs) or bird dogs are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, typically various fowls that are shot down on the wing (in flight). The term hunting dog is broad and includes all breeds and s ...

File:Shaded Tan Maine Coon cat.jpg, A buff mousing cat File:Mareca penelope female s2.jpg, A female

eurasian wigeon The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (''Mareca penelope''), also known as the widgeon or the wigeon, is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus ''Mareca''. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range. Taxonomy T ...

File:Buff_Orpington_chicken,_UK.jpg, A buff chicken File:Orpington Duck 2014-10-20 001.jpg, The Buff Orpington Duck File:Rosa 'Buff Beauty'.jpg, The rose

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

'Buff Beauty'.

Clothing

In 16th- and 17th-century European cultures, buff waistcoats ("vests" in American English), were considered proper casual wear. In the 17th century, the traditional colour of formal

dress boot Dress boots are short leather boots typically worn by men. Built like dress shoes, but with uppers covering the ankle, versions of the boots are used as an alternative to these in bad weather or rough outdoor situation, and as a traditional option ...

uppers was often described as "buff". File:Musician Holding Bagpipes 1632.jpg, 17th-century English musician wearing a buff waistcoat File:Piccolomini_5.jpg, 17th-century Italian nobleman wearing buff dress boot uppers

John Bull

Clothing depicted on John Bull, a

national personification A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda. In the first personifications in the Western World, warrior deities or figures symboliz ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

in general and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in particular, in political cartoons and similar graphic works, has often been buff coloured. Bull's buff waistcoats, topcoats,"AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion",

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

(2006), exhibition brochure, p. 2. trousers and boot uppers were typical of 18th- and 19th-century Englishmen. File:Tree_of_liberty.jpg, Early depiction of John Bull with the buff clothing typical of an 18th-century Englishman File:John Bull - World War I recruiting poster.jpeg, John Bull wearing buff dress boot uppers File:The Great Rapprochement.jpg, John Bull wearing buff trousers

17th-century military uniforms

File:HGM Saal 1 Musketiere und Pikeniere.jpg, Buff German uniforms File:Footpath to Hall Hill, near West Keal - geograph.org.uk - 717980.jpg, Dry vegetation in Europe

=The British army

= The Royal East Kent Regiment was nicknamed "The Buffs" from the colour of their waistcoats. The phrase "Steady the Buffs!", popularised by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

in his 1888 work '' Soldiers Three'', has its origins during 2nd Battalion's garrison duties in Malta. Adjutant Cotter, not wanting to be shown up in front of his former regiment, the 21st Royal (North British) Fusiliers, spurred his men on with the words: "Steady, the Buffs! The Fusiliers are watching you." File:Soldier of 3rd regiment 1742.jpg, Soldier of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) wearing "a new Red Coat lin'd with a Buff colour'd lining, .... Breeches of the same colour as the Coat lining."

U.S. Army

The uniform of the American

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

was buff and blue. Buff is the traditional colour of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps. The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry specifies a "buff"

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

for certain

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

, often treating it as a metal for purposes of the

rule of tincture The rule of tincture is a design philosophy found in some heraldry, heraldic traditions that states "metal should not be put on metal, nor colour on colour". Heraldic furs, such as Ermine (heraldry), ermine and vair, and Charge (heraldry), charg ...

. File:Infantry, Continental Army, 1779-1783.jpg, Continental Army uniforms: "The Buff and Blue" File:Chevron - Quartermaster Sergeant 1902-1909.png, US chevron - quartermaster sergeant insignia (1902–1909) buff on black with blue detail. File:43rdSBSSI.svg, USAIH illustration which specifies "a buff colored vertical rectangular embroidered item"

U.S. universities, fraternities and schools

The colours of

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

are buff and blue, modelled on the military uniform of General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and the Continental Army. Both General Washington and

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

, as chief of staff, had a role in the design of the uniforms. Other school colours described as "buff and blue" include

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...

in Washington, D.C., and Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Buff is one of three colours of the

Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha Gamma Delta (), also known as Alpha Gam, is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity and social organization. It was founded in 1904 at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. It is the youngest m ...

fraternity, and one of two colours of the

Delta Chi Delta Chi () is an international collegiate social fraternity. It was formed in 1890 at Cornell University as a professional fraternity for law students, becoming a social fraternity in 1922. In 1929. Delta Chi became one of the first internat ...

fraternity. File:George Washington by Peale 1776.jpg, General Washington wearing the buff and blue File:George_Washington_University.jpg, George Washington University banners featuring the buff and blue George Washington Athletics logo.svg, The buff and blue logo of the

George Washington Revolutionaries The George Washington Revolutionaries are the athletic teams of George Washington University of Washington, D.C. The Revolutionaries compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Atlantic 10 Confe ...

U.S. state flags

The flags of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, and the former flags of New York and

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, officially feature buff. File:Flag of Delaware.svg, The flag of Delaware has "a background of colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff" File:Flag of New Jersey.svg, The flag of New Jersey has "the State seal ... in Jersey blue on a buff background" File:Flag of Indiana.svg, The flag of Indiana has "nineteen stars and a flaming torch in gold or buff." File:Flag of New York (1778-1901).svg, Former flag of New York (1896–1901) File:Flag of Maine (1901–1909).svg, Former flag of Maine (1901–1909)

Political usage

The colours of the Whig Party, a British political faction, and later

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

, as well as the American Whig Party, were buff and blue. File:Le_coup_de_maitre.jpg, Depiction of the Whig

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a British British Whig Party, Whig politician and statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centurie ...

wearing buff and blue

White Star buff

The funnels of the RMS ''Titanic'' and all other ships of the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

were designated to be "buff with a black top" in order to indicate their ownership. There is some uncertainty among experts, however, as to the exact shade of what is now called "White Star buff". There is no surviving paint or formula, and although there are many painted postcards and at least seven colour photographs of White Star liners, the shades of the funnels in these varies due to many factors including the conditions under which they were originally made and the ageing of the pigments in which they were printed. Speaking mostly to

scale model A scale model is a physical model that is geometrically similar to an object (known as the ''prototype''). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small protot ...

lers, the Titanic Research and Modelling Association currently recommend a colour "in the range of the Marschall color", meaning the colour in illustrations in a particular book. As a relatively inexpensive and readily available paint colour, and one which went well alongside the near-universal black hull and white

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

used on steamships at the time, White Star was far from the only shipping line to use a shade of buff as a funnel colour. The Orient Line and

Norddeutscher Lloyd Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL; North German Lloyd) was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on 20 February 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of th ...

used an entirely buff funnel without the black top, while

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

and the Swedish American Line employed a buff funnel with a representation of the company's

house flag A maritime flag, also called a naval flag, is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. The flag flown ...

on them. The Bibby Line and the Fyffes Line are two of several firms to use the same "buff with a black top" scheme as White Star, but with a similar lack of certainty as to the exact shade used and how this differed from the famous White Star scheme. File:Colorful Oceanic.jpg, Ships of the White Star Line, such as the RMS ''Oceanic'' pictured here, and the ''Titanic,'' had buff funnels with black tops.

In Canadian heraldry

As well as being a colour used by the United States Army Institute of Heraldry, buff is also recognised as a

by the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

. It appears on the

heraldic badge A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...

and flag of the

Correctional Service of Canada The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC; ), also known as Correctional Service Canada or Corrections Canada, is the Government of Canada, Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and Rehabilitation (penology), rehabili ...

References

External links

* * {{Heraldry Quaternary colors Shades of brown Shades of yellow Shades of orange Colours (heraldry) Metals (heraldry) hi:भूरा#बादामी