Collection · 23 palettes

Victorian Color Palettes

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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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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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.