Mauve (, ; , ) is a pale

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, ...

color named after the mallow flower (French: ''mauve''). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–98 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. Another name for the color is mallow, with the first recorded use of ''mallow'' as a color name in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

in 1611. Mauve contains more

gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

and more

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

than a pale tint of

magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blu ...

. Many pale wildflowers called "blue" are more accurately classified as mauve. Mauve is also sometimes described as pale

violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

Mauveine, the first commercial aniline dye

The synthetic dye mauve was first so named in 1859. Chemist

William Henry Perkin Sir William Henry Perkin (12 March 1838 – 14 July 1907) was a British chemist and entrepreneur best known for his serendipitous discovery of the first commercial synthetic organic dye, mauveine, made from aniline. Though he failed in tryin ...

, then eighteen, was attempting in 1856 to synthesize

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal le ...

, which was used to treat

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. He noticed an unexpected residue, which turned out to be the first

aniline Aniline is an organic compound with the formula C6 H5 NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the simplest aromatic amine. It is an industrially significant commodity chemical, as well as a versatile starti ...

dye. Perkin originally named the dye

Tyrian purple Tyrian purple ( grc, πορφύρα ''porphúra''; la, purpura), also known as Phoenician red, Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon. It i ...

after the historical dye, but the product was renamed ''mauve'' after it was marketed in 1859. It is now usually called ''Perkin's mauve'', ''mauveine'', or ''aniline purple''. Earlier references to a mauve dye in 1856–1858 referred to a color produced using the semi-synthetic dye murexide or a mixture of natural dyes. Perkin was so successful in marketing his discovery to the dye industry that his biography by

Simon Garfield Simon Frank Garfield (born 19 March 1960) is a British journalist and non-fiction author. Biography Garfield was born in London in 1960.All the Year Round'' described women wearing the colour as "all flying countryward, like so many migrating birds of purple paradise". ''Punch'' magazine published cartoons poking fun at the huge popularity of the colour: “The Mauve Measles are spreading to so serious an extent that it is high time to consider by what means

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

may be checked.” But, because it faded easily, the success of mauve dye was short-lived, and by 1873 it was replaced by other synthetic dyes. As the memory of the original dye soon receded, the contemporary understanding of mauve is as a lighter, less-saturated color than it was originally known. The 1890s are sometimes referred to in retrospect as the "''Mauve Decade''" because of the popularity of the subtle color among progressive artistic types, both in Europe and the US.

Variations

Rich mauve

The color displayed at right is the rich tone of mauve called ''mauve'' by

Crayola Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing company specializing in art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered in Forks Township, Pennsylva ...

French mauve (deep mauve)

The color displayed at right is the deep tone of mauve that is called ''mauve'' b
Pourpre.com
a color list widely popular in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Opera mauve

The color displayed at right is opera mauve. The first recorded use of ''opera mauve'' as a color name in

was in 1927.

Mauve taupe

The color displayed at right is mauve taupe. The first recorded use of ''mauve taupe'' as a color name in English was in 1925.

Old mauve

The color displayed at right is old mauve. The first recorded use of ''old mauve'' as a color name in English was in 1925. The normalized color coordinates for old mauve are identical to wine dregs, which was first recorded as a color name in English in 1924.Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 207; Color Sample of Wine Dregs Page 37 Plate 7 Color Sample L7

References

External links

* {{Authority control Shades of pink Shades of violet