cannot stop thinking abt the paris review’s essay series on the history of significance of certain colours, hue’s hue:
Periwinkle, the Color of Poison, Modernism, and Dusk
Eau de Nil, the Light-Green Color of Egypt-Obsessed Europe
Marian Blue, the Color of Angels, Virgins, and Other Untouchable Things
Incarnadine, the Bloody Red of Fashionable Cosmetics and Shakespearean Poetics
Jonquil, the Light Yellow of Early Flowers, Mad Painters, and Dust Bowl–Era Pottery
Scheele’s Green, the Color of Fake Foliage and Death
Lilac, the Color of Half Mourning, Doomed Hotels, and Fashionable Feelings
Hooker’s Green: The Color of Apple Trees and Envy
Blaze Orange, the Color of Fear, Warnings, and the Artificial
Chartreuse, the Color of Elixirs, Flappers, and Alternate Realities
Living Coral, the Brutal Hue of Climate Change and Brand New iPhones
Mustard, the Color of Millennial Candidates, Problematic Lattes, and Aboriginal Paintings
Russet, the Color of Peasants, Fox Fur, and Penance
Verdigris: The Color of Oxidation, Statues, and Impermanence
But Wait, There’s More! as i found out after making the initial post, there are a few other colours katy kelleher also covered in other outlets: payne’s gray, haint blue, rose madder, falu red, glaucous, fuchsia, caput mortuum, prussian blue, gamboge, celadon, and puce.
also shoutout to her other series, the ugly history of beautiful things, which talks about: lockets, angora, perfume, pearls, mirrors, and orchids.
