Showa era
Madder Brown & Deep Indigo
Plate 28 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Deep Indigo.
#762c19
red · 7 palettes
Madder Brown
About Madder Brown
Madder Brown is a deep, vivid red tone. Its hex value is #762c19 — that is
RGB 118, 44, 25, or HSL 12°, 65%, 28%.
It holds 9.8:1 contrast against white, so Madder Brown works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 9.8:1; on black 2.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Madder Brown appears in 7 combinations — most often paired with Deep Indigo, Green Blue and Violet Blue.
Colours that go with Madder Brown
From a standard colour wheel, Madder Brown anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#762c19 #196376
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#762c19 #761935 #765A19
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#762c19 #19762C #2C1976
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#762c19 #19765A #193576
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Madder Brown
Madder Brown is a deep, vivid tone (HSL 12°, 65%, 28%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (9.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#196376) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#761935 and #765A19) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Madder Brown
Madder Brown appears in 7 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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