Showa era
Fawn & Dusky Madder Violet
Plate 18 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Fawn, Dusky Madder Violet.
#4e1d4c
purple · 6 palettes
Dusky Madder Violet
About Dusky Madder Violet
Dusky Madder Violet is a deep, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #4e1d4c — that is
RGB 78, 29, 76, or HSL 302°, 46%, 21%.
It holds 13.1:1 contrast against white, so Dusky Madder Violet works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 13.1:1; on black 1.6:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Dusky Madder Violet appears in 6 combinations — most often paired with Hay's Russet, Fawn and Ivory Buff.
Colours that go with Dusky Madder Violet
From a standard colour wheel, Dusky Madder Violet anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#4e1d4c #1D4E1F
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#4e1d4c #381D4E #4E1D33
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#4e1d4c #4C4E1D #1D4C4E
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#4e1d4c #334E1D #1D4E38
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Dusky Madder Violet
Dusky Madder Violet is a deep, muted tone (HSL 302°, 46%, 21%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (13.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#1D4E1F) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#381D4E and #4E1D33) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Dusky Madder Violet
Dusky Madder Violet appears in 6 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
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
See what's inside
Launching soon. The free archive stays free, always.