Showa era
Old Rose & White
Plate 55 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Old Rose, White.
#d46d7a
pink · 4 palettes
Old Rose
About Old Rose
Old Rose is a mid-tone, muted pink tone. Its hex value is #d46d7a — that is
RGB 212, 109, 122, or HSL 352°, 54%, 63%.
It holds 6.3:1 contrast against dark, so Old Rose works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 3.4:1; on black 6.3:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Old Rose appears in 4 combinations — most often paired with White, Rainette Green and Lilac.
Colours that go with Old Rose
From a standard colour wheel, Old Rose anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#d46d7a #6DD4C7
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#d46d7a #D46DAE #D4936D
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#d46d7a #7AD46D #6D7AD4
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#d46d7a #6DD493 #6DAED4
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Old Rose
Old Rose is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 352°, 54%, 63%), 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 (6.3:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#6DD4C7) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#D46DAE and #D4936D) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Old Rose 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 GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
View on Amazon -
...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.
Pentel
Fude Touch brush sign pen
Listed on Amazon as Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen, Black, Felt Pen Like Brush Stroke (SES15C-A) 3 Pieces
View on Amazon
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Palettes with Old Rose
Old Rose appears in 4 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 Old Rose
- What is the hex code for Old Rose?
- Old Rose is #d46d7a. It appears in 4 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Old Rose look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Old Rose (#d46d7a) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 3.35:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 6.27:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Old Rose come from?
- Old Rose is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued pink pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Old Rose in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#d46d7a) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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