What is in the "Victorian Color Palettes" collection?

Victorian Color Palettes is a curated collection of 23 historical color palettes from Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933). Heavy burgundy, brass, parlor green — the layered confidence of late-1800s interiors.

Can I embed or share the "Victorian Color Palettes" collection?

Yes. Use the embed iframe (560×320) shown on the page for blogs, Notion pages, or design reviews. Each embedded palette links back to its full detail page. Share image (1200×630) auto-generated per collection. License: CC BY 4.0.

Where does the "Victorian Color Palettes" source material come from?

Source: Sanzo Wada, "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). The Wada catalog is in the public domain. Curation, descriptions, and groupings here are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

Collection · 23 palettes

Victorian Color Palettes

Q: How was the "Victorian Color Palettes" collection curated?

Editorial curation by colorcombinations.org. Victorian color is the palette of crowded parlors, William Morris wallpaper, deep mahogany cabinets, and the burgundy velvet of theatre seats: saturated, layered, and confident in a way that modern minimalism rejects. Wada's catalog reaches the same depth through different cultural geometry — 'enji' (臙脂 — cochineal red) for the burgundy, 'matsuba' (松葉 — pine green) for the parlor walls, 'kogecha' (焦茶 — burnt brown) and 'tobi' (鳶 — kite-brown) for the rich woodwork, 'kogane' (黄金 — gold) for the brass fittings. Reference material for heritage hospitality brands, antique-inspired branding, period-drama design, library and bookshop identities, and any project briefed with 'rich, layered, full.' Palettes are grouped by thematic resonance — mood, era, or visual language — not algorithmic similarity.

Heavy burgundy, brass, parlor green — the layered confidence of late-1800s interiors.

Victorian color is the palette of crowded parlors, William Morris wallpaper, deep mahogany cabinets, and the burgundy velvet of theatre seats: saturated, layered, and confident in a way that modern minimalism rejects. Wada's catalog reaches the same depth through different cultural geometry — 'enji' (臙脂 — cochineal red) for the burgundy, 'matsuba' (松葉 — pine green) for the parlor walls, 'kogecha' (焦茶 — burnt brown) and 'tobi' (鳶 — kite-brown) for the rich woodwork, 'kogane' (黄金 — gold) for the brass fittings. Reference material for heritage hospitality brands, antique-inspired branding, period-drama design, library and bookshop identities, and any project briefed with 'rich, layered, full.'

Edo era

Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

The deep lake crimson of cochineal against pine needle green — winter evergreen.

Muromachi era

Scorched Brown & Unbleached— 焦茶と生成

The dark brown of scorched wood against unbleached hemp — quiet materials.

Edo era

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

The warm brown of a kite's wing lit by afternoon gold.

Kamakura era

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

The ceremonial triad of temple lacquerware — vermillion, lacquer black, gold leaf.

Edo era

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.

Edo era

Edo Purple & Mouse Grey— 江戸紫と鼠

The cool Edo purple worn by kabuki actors against mouse grey — theatrical understatement.

Showa era

Madder Brown & Deep Indigo

Plate 28 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Deep Indigo.

Showa era

Brick Red & Red Violet

Plate 37 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Brick Red, Red Violet.

Showa era

Taupe Brown & Slate Color

Plate 57 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Taupe Brown, Slate Color.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Sea Green

Plate 58 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Sea Green.

Showa era

Vistoris Lake & Cerulian Blue

Plate 63 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vistoris Lake, Cerulian Blue.

Showa era

Madder Brown & Green Blue

Plate 79 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Green Blue.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Dusky Madder Violet

Plate 82 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Dusky Madder Violet.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Dull Violet Black

Plate 95 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Dull Violet Black.

Showa era

Madder Brown & Violet Blue

Plate 98 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Violet Blue.

Showa era

Carmine & Black

Plate 117 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Black.

Showa era

Jasper Red & Benzol Green +1

Plate 155 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Jasper Red, Benzol Green, Deep Indigo.

Showa era

Carmine Red & Violet +1

Plate 181 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Violet, Cotinga Purple.

Showa era

Jasper Red & Green +1

Plate 216 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Jasper Red, Green, Black.

Showa era

Carmine & Dusky Green +1

Plate 225 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Dusky Green, Dark Slate Purple.

Showa era

Carmine Red & Oil Green +2

Plate 245 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Oil Green, Dark Tyrian Blue, Slate Color.

Showa era

Carmine & Yellow +2

Plate 313 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Yellow, Diamine Green, Black.

Showa era

Vandyke Red & Dull Viridian Green +2

Plate 316 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vandyke Red, Dull Viridian Green, Violet, Red Violet.

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From the archive

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
378 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues

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Library

Colour books worth owning

The theory and reference behind palettes like this — recommended on Amazon.

Kassia St. Clair

The Secret Lives of Color

Penguin, 2017.

Seventy-five individual colors, each with a short history. Reads like a cabinet of curiosities.

View on Amazon
Victoria Finlay

Color: A Natural History of the Palette

Random House, 2004.

Investigative travelogue through dye sources — indigo farms, lapis mines, safflower fields. The journey of kurenai.

View on Amazon
Stella Paul

Chromaphilia

Phaidon, 2017.

240 artworks organized by color. A visual counterpart to Wada's dictionary.

View on Amazon

Book links are Amazon Associates affiliate links. Your price is unchanged; a small commission supports the archive. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Victorian Color Palettes

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Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

Scorched Brown & Unbleached— 焦茶と生成

Kite Brown & Gold— 鳶と黄金

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

Edo Purple & Mouse Grey— 江戸紫と鼠

Madder Brown & Deep Indigo

Brick Red & Red Violet

Taupe Brown & Slate Color

Hay's Russet & Sea Green

Vistoris Lake & Cerulian Blue

Madder Brown & Green Blue

Hay's Russet & Dusky Madder Violet

Hay's Russet & Dull Violet Black

Madder Brown & Violet Blue

Carmine & Black

Jasper Red & Benzol Green +1

Carmine Red & Violet +1

Jasper Red & Green +1

Carmine & Dusky Green +1

Carmine Red & Oil Green +2

Carmine & Yellow +2

Vandyke Red & Dull Viridian Green +2

Embed this collection

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

The Secret Lives of Color

Color: A Natural History of the Palette

Chromaphilia

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