Showa era
Brown & Vandyke Brown
Plate 110 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Brown, Vandyke Brown.
#4b3317
orange · 6 palettes
Vandyke Brown
About Vandyke Brown
Vandyke Brown is a deep, muted orange tone. Its hex value is #4b3317 — that is
RGB 75, 51, 23, or HSL 32°, 53%, 19%.
It holds 11.8:1 contrast against white, so Vandyke Brown works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 11.8:1; on black 1.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Vandyke Brown appears in 6 combinations — most often paired with Brown, Seashell Pink and Yellow Ocher.
Colours that go with Vandyke Brown
From a standard colour wheel, Vandyke Brown anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#4b3317 #172F4B
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#4b3317 #4B1917 #494B17
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#4b3317 #174B33 #33174B
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#4b3317 #17494B #19174B
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Vandyke Brown
Vandyke Brown is a deep, muted tone (HSL 32°, 53%, 19%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (11.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#172F4B) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#4B1917 and #494B17) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Vandyke Brown
Vandyke Brown appears in 6 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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