Showa era
Indian Lake & Vinaceous Cinnamon +2
Plate 299 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Indian Lake, Vinaceous Cinnamon, Oil Green, Antwarp Blue.
#c53c69
purple · 2 palettes
Indian Lake
Indian Lake is one of the colors Sanzo Wada used in his 1933 book. Get Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary on Amazon → Affiliate link; your price is unchanged. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
About Indian Lake
Indian Lake is a mid-tone, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #c53c69 — that is
RGB 197, 60, 105, or HSL 340°, 54%, 50%.
It holds 5.0:1 contrast against white, so Indian Lake works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 5.0:1; on black 4.2:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Indian Lake appears in 2 combinations — most often paired with Vinaceous Cinnamon, Oil Green and Antwarp Blue.
Colours that go with Indian Lake
From a standard colour wheel, Indian Lake anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#c53c69 #3CC598
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#c53c69 #C53CAE #C5533C
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#c53c69 #69C53C #3C69C5
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#c53c69 #3CC553 #3CAEC5
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Indian Lake
Indian Lake is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 340°, 54%, 50%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light 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 (#3CC598) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#C53CAE and #C5533C) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Indian Lake 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.
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...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 GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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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 Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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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.
Listed on Amazon as Strathmore 300 Series Tape Bound Watercolor Pad, 140 lb. Cold Press, 11 X 15 inches, White, 12 Sheets (360-111)
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Palettes with Indian Lake
Indian Lake appears in 2 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 Indian Lake
- What is the hex code for Indian Lake?
- Indian Lake is #c53c69. It appears in 2 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Indian Lake look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Indian Lake (#c53c69) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 4.97:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 4.22:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Indian Lake come from?
- Indian Lake 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 Indian Lake in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#c53c69) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
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
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- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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