Showa era
Cream Yellow & Blue +1
Plate 215 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cream Yellow, Blue, Eupatorium Purple.
#bf5892
purple · 3 palettes
Eupatorium Purple
About Eupatorium Purple
Eupatorium Purple is a mid-tone, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #bf5892 — that is
RGB 191, 88, 146, or HSL 326°, 45%, 55%.
It holds 5.0:1 contrast against dark, so Eupatorium Purple works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 4.2:1; on black 5.0:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Eupatorium Purple appears in 3 combinations — most often paired with Cream Yellow, Blue and Grenadine Pink.
Colours that go with Eupatorium Purple
From a standard colour wheel, Eupatorium Purple anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#bf5892 #58BF85
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#bf5892 #B858BF #BF585F
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#bf5892 #92BF58 #5892BF
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#bf5892 #5FBF58 #58BFB8
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Eupatorium Purple
Eupatorium Purple is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 326°, 45%, 55%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (5.0:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#58BF85) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#B858BF and #BF585F) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Eupatorium Purple off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Formula Guide – Coated & Uncoated | Professional PMS Color Matching System for Print, Packaging & Graphic Design | GP1601B
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Passport Photo 2
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 Portable Color Calibration Kit for Photo and Video, 4 Target Set for White Balance, Exposure and Creative Look
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
View on Amazon
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Palettes with Eupatorium Purple
Eupatorium Purple appears in 3 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Eupatorium Purple
- What is the hex code for Eupatorium Purple?
- Eupatorium Purple is #bf5892. It appears in 3 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Eupatorium Purple look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Eupatorium Purple (#bf5892) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 4.18:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 5.03:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Eupatorium Purple come from?
- Eupatorium Purple is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued purple pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Eupatorium Purple in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#bf5892) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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