Why Wada's Colors Have Names Like Hay's Russet: Ridgway's 1912 Color Standards

Robert Ridgway's Color Standards (1912)

Robert Ridgway was curator of the Division of Birds at the United States National Museum in Washington. Describing a bird's plumage needs exact color words, so in 1912 he published himself Color Standards and Color Nomenclature: 53 colored plates and 1,115 named colors, each painted by hand and given a plate number. Ornithologists used it for decades, and so did mycologists and stamp collectors. The book is in the public domain and its full text is on Project Gutenberg.

Ridgway did not invent most of his names. His preface says he collected several thousand named samples from earlier books, among them Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (Syme's 1821 edition), D. R. Hay's Nomenclature of Colours (1846), his own 1886 Nomenclature of Colors and florists' color charts. That is where Hay's Russet and Vanderpoel's Blue come from. Combined names like Kronberg's Green, Rosolane Purple and Vernonia Purple do not turn up in two color lists by chance, which is why the overlap below is not a coincidence.

The match, counted

91 same name, letter for letter

24 same name, only a hyphen or capital differs

12 a Ridgway name, spelled differently

32 no Ridgway name

Ridgway writes "Olive-Buff" and "Vinaceous-Tawny" with hyphens; the English edition of Wada drops them. Of the 32 names with no match, 6 are plain hue words such as Red and Blue, which Ridgway calls "Spectrum Red" and "Spectrum Blue". Our count reads Ridgway's printed index and may miss a handful of entries, so 127 is a floor.

The 12 spelling differences

One is just British against American spelling (Ochre and Ocher). The other 11 are misprints, and they are the names searchers copy straight from the book. The correct spelling is Ridgway's.

Antwarp Blue Antwerp Blue Plate VIII
Artemesia Green Artemisia Green Plate XLVII
Cerulian Blue Cerulean Blue Plate VIII
Fresh Color Flesh Color Plate XIV
Krongbergs Green Kronberg's Green Plate XXXI
Ochre Red Ocher Red Plate XXVII
Pomegranite Purple Pomegranate Purple Plate XII
Rosolanc Purple Rosolane Purple Plate XXVI
Sulpher Yellow Sulphur Yellow Plate V
Vandar Poel's Blue Vanderpoel's Blue Plate XX
Veronia Purple Vernonia Purple Plate XXXVIII
Vistoris Lake Victoria Lake Plate I

Two of them are more than a typo: "Fresh Color" is almost certainly Ridgway's Flesh Color, and "Vistoris Lake" his Victoria Lake, a dark red from his first plate.

Who gave Wada's colors these names?

We do not know, and we have not found anyone who has published it. The English names are the ones readers see in the 2010 Seigensha edition; we have not been able to check whether Wada's six volumes of 1933–34 carried them too. What the match shows is that whoever named the colors in English worked from Ridgway's book, copying his spellings and sometimes mistyping them. If you know the history, tell us and we will add it with credit.

A Ridgway name is not a guarantee that Wada's swatch is Ridgway's exact shade: the two books were printed decades apart with different inks. Use the hex values on each color page for screen work.

All 159 names

Show the full table (159 rows)

Wada (English edition)	Ridgway 1912	Plate
Aconite Violet	Aconite Violet Same name	XXXVII
Andover Green	Andover Green Same name	XLVII
Antwarp Blue	Antwerp Blue Spelled differently	VIII
Apricot Orange	Apricot Orange Same name	XIV
Apricot Yellow	Apricot Yellow Same name	IV
Artemesia Green	Artemisia Green Spelled differently	XLVII
Benzol Green	Benzol Green Same name	VII
Black	Black Same name	LIII
Blackish Olive	— No match	—
Blue	— No match	—
Blue Violet	Blue-Violet Hyphen or capital	X
Brick Red	Brick Red Same name	XIII
Brown	— No match	—
Buffy Citrine	Buffy Citrine Same name	XVI
Burnt Sienna	Burnt Sienna Same name	II
Calamine Blue	Calamine Blue Hyphen or capital	VIII
Cameo Pink	Cameo Pink Same name	XXVI
Carmine	Carmine Same name	I
Carmine Red	— No match	—
Cerulian Blue	Cerulean Blue Spelled differently	VIII
Chromium Green	Chromium Green Same name	XXXII
Cinnamon Buff	Cinnamon-Buff Hyphen or capital	XXIX
Cinnamon Rufous	Cinnamon-Rufous Hyphen or capital	XIV
Citrine	Citrine Same name	IV
Citron Yellow	Citron Yellow Same name	XVI
Cobalt Green	Cobalt Green Same name	XIX
Coral Red	Coral Red Same name	XIII
Corinthian Pink	Corinthian Pink Same name	XXVII
Cossack Green	Cossack Green Same name	VI
Cotinga Purple	Cotinga Purple Same name	XI
Cream Yellow	— No match	—
Dark Citrine	Dark Citrine Same name	IV
Dark Greenish Glaucous	Dark Greenish Glaucous Same name	XLI
Dark Medici Blue	Dark Medici Blue Same name	XLVIII
Dark Slate Purple	Dark Slate-Purple Hyphen or capital	XLIV
Dark Soft Violet	— No match	—
Dark Tyrian Blue	Dark Tyrian Blue Same name	XXXIV
Deep Grayish Olive	Deep Grayish Olive Same name	XLVI
Deep Indigo	— No match	—
Deep Lyons Blue	— No match	—
Deep Slate Green	Deep Slate-Green Hyphen or capital	XLVII
Deep Slate Olive	Deep Slate-Olive Hyphen or capital	XLVII
Deep Violet / Plumbeous	Deep Violet-Plumbeous Hyphen or capital	XLIX
Diamine Green	Diamine Green Same name	VII
Dull Blue Violet	Dull Blue-Violet Hyphen or capital	XXIV
Dull Violet Black	Dull Violet-Black Hyphen or capital	XLIV
Dull Viridian Green	— No match	—
Dusky Green	Dusky Green Same name	XXXIII
Dusky Madder Violet	— No match	—
Ecru	— No match	—
English Red	English Red Same name	II
Eosine Pink	Eosine Pink Same name	I
Etruscan Red	Etruscan Red Same name	XXVII
Eugenia Red A	Eugenia Red Same name	XIII
Eugenia Red B	Eugenia Red Same name	XIII
Eupatorium Purple	Eupatorium Purple Same name	XXXVIII
Fawn	— No match	—
Fresh Color	Flesh Color Spelled differently	XIV
Glaucous Green	Glaucous-Green Hyphen or capital	XXXIII
Golden Yellow	— No match	—
Grayish Lavender - A	Grayish Lavender Same name	XLIII
Grayish Lavender - B	Grayish Lavender Same name	XLIII
Green	— No match	—
Green Blue	— No match	—
Grenadine Pink	Grenadine Pink Same name	II
Hay's Russet	Hay's Russet Same name	XIV
Helvetia Blue	Helvetia Blue Same name	IX
Hermosa Pink	Hermosa Pink Same name	I
Hydrangea Red	Hydrangea Red Same name	XXVII
Indian Lake	Indian Lake Same name	XXVI
Isabella Color	Isabella Color Same name	XXX
Ivory Buff	— No match	—
Jasper Red	Jasper Red Same name	XIII
Khaki	— No match	—
Krongbergs Green	Kronberg's Green Spelled differently	XXXI
Laelia Pink	Laelia Pink Same name	XXXVIII
Lemon Yellow	Lemon Yellow Same name	IV
Light Brown Drab	— No match	—
Light Brownish Olive	Light Brownish Olive Same name	XXX
Light Glaucous Blue	Light Glaucous-Blue Hyphen or capital	XXXIV
Light Grayish Olive	Light Grayish Olive Same name	XLVI
Light Green Yellow	Light Green-Yellow Hyphen or capital	V
Light Mauve	Light Mauve Same name	XXV
Light Pinkish Cinnamon	Light Pinkish Cinnamon Same name	XXIX
Light Porcelain Green	Light Porcelain Green Same name	XXXIII
Lilac	Lilac Same name	XXV
Lincoln Green	Lincoln Green Same name	XLI
Madder Brown	Madder Brown Same name	XIII
Maple	— No match	—
Mars Brown Tobacco	— No match	—
Mineral Gray	Mineral Gray Same name	XLVII
Naples Yellow	Naples Yellow Same name	XVI
Neutral Gray	Neutral Gray Same name	LIII
Night Green	Night Green Same name	VI
Nile Blue	Nile Blue Same name	XIX
Ochraceous Salmon	Ochraceous-Salmon Hyphen or capital	XV
Ochre Red	Ocher Red Spelled differently	XXVII
Oil Green	Oil Green Same name	V
Old Rose	Old Rose Same name	XIII
Olive	Olive Same name	XXX
Olive Buff	Olive-Buff Hyphen or capital	XL
Olive Green	Olive-Green Hyphen or capital	IV
Olive Ocher	Olive-Ocher Hyphen or capital	XXX
Olive Yellow	Olive-Yellow Hyphen or capital	XXX
Olympic Blue	Olympic Blue Same name	XX
Orange	Orange Same name	III
Orange Citrine	Orange-Citrine Hyphen or capital	IV
Orange Rufous	Orange-Rufous Hyphen or capital	II
Orange Yellow	— No match	—
Pale Burnt Lake	— No match	—
Pale King's Blue	Pale King's Blue Same name	XXII
Pale Lemon Yellow	Pale Lemon Yellow Same name	IV
Pale Raw Umber	— No match	—
Pansy Purple	Pansy Purple Same name	XII
Peach Red	Peach Red Same name	I
Peacock Blue	Peacock Blue Same name	VIII
Pinkish Cinnamon	Pinkish Cinnamon Same name	XXIX
Pistachio Green	Pistachio Green Same name	XLI
Pomegranite Purple	Pomegranate Purple Spelled differently	XII
Pompeian Red	Pompeian Red Same name	XIII
Purple Drab	Purple-Drab Hyphen or capital	XLV
Pyrite Yellow	Pyrite Yellow Same name	IV
Rainette Green	Rainette Green Same name	XXXI
Raw Sienna	Raw Sienna Same name	III
Red	— No match	—
Red Orange	— No match	—
Red Violet	— No match	—
Rosolanc Purple	Rosolane Purple Spelled differently	XXVI
Salvia Blue	Salvia Blue Same name	IX
Scarlet	Scarlet Same name	I
Sea Green	Sea Green Same name	XIX
Seashell Pink	Seashell Pink Same name	XIV
Sepia	Sepia Same name	XXIX
Slate Color	Slate Color Same name	LIII
Spectrum Red	Spectrum Red Same name	I
Spinel Red	Spinel Red Same name	XXVI
Sudan Brown	Sudan Brown Same name	III
Sulpher Yellow	Sulphur Yellow Spelled differently	V
Sulphine Yellow	Sulphine Yellow Same name	IV
Taupe Brown	Taupe Brown Same name	XLIV
Turquoise Green	Turquoise Green Same name	VII
Vandar Poel's Blue	Vanderpoel's Blue Spelled differently	XX
Vandyke Brown	Vandyke Brown Same name	XXVIII
Vandyke Red	Vandyke Red Same name	XIII
Venice Green	Venice Green Same name	VII
Veronia Purple	Vernonia Purple Spelled differently	XXXVIII
Vinaceous Cinnamon	Vinaceous-Cinnamon Hyphen or capital	XXIX
Vinaceous Tawny	Vinaceous-Tawny Hyphen or capital	XXVIII
Violet	— No match	—
Violet Blue	— No match	—
Violet Carmine	Violet Carmine Same name	XII
Violet Red	— No match	—
Vistoris Lake	Victoria Lake Spelled differently	I
Warm Gray	— No match	—
White	White Same name	LIII
Yellow	— No match	—
Yellow Green	Yellow-Green Hyphen or capital	VI
Yellow Ocher	Yellow Ocher Same name	XV
Yellow Orange	— No match	—

Questions people ask

Where do the English color names in A Dictionary of Color Combinations come from?

At least 127 of its 159 English names (80%) are names from Robert Ridgway's Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, published in Washington in 1912. We have found no published account of who chose them for the English edition.

What is Hay's Russet?

A reddish brown that Ridgway took from D. R. Hay's Nomenclature of Colours (1846) and painted on Plate XIV of his 1912 book. In Wada's dictionary it is #793327, used in combinations such as plate 58 with Sea Green.

Is it Antwarp Blue or Antwerp Blue?

Antwerp Blue, after the city. Ridgway spells it that way (Plate VIII). "Antwarp Blue" is one of the misprints in the English edition of Wada's dictionary, along with Sulpher Yellow, Pomegranite Purple and Cerulian Blue.

Can I read Ridgway's book for free?

Yes. It was published in 1912 and is in the public domain; Project Gutenberg has the full text with the color index, and scans of the colored plates are in several museum libraries.

— colorcombinations.org editorial

Library

The books behind the names

Both Wada volumes, and Werner's Nomenclature, one of the books Ridgway drew his names from.

Book links are Amazon Associates affiliate links. Your price is unchanged; a small commission supports the archive. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Sanzo Wada

A Dictionary of Color Combinations

The 2010 Seigensha republication of the 1933–34 original. Japanese import.

Every combination in it is already browsable free here, hex values and all. Buy this one for the object rather than the data — Seigensha's matte plates and Japanese binding, or a citable copy of the 1933–34 original. If you want plates this archive doesn't have, Vol. 2 is the one.

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Sanzo Wada

A Dictionary of Color Combinations Vol. 2

Seigensha, 2020. Japanese import.

Wada's 1935–36 and 1938 follow-ups: 72 plates on the Japanese seasons and 165 drawn from early-century fashion, interior, and graphic design. Not in Vol. 1. Not in this archive. The book itself is a design object — Japanese binding, matte pages, zero captions.

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Patrick Syme (after Abraham Gottlob Werner)

Werner's Nomenclature of Colours

Smithsonian Books, 2018 facsimile of the 1821 edition.

The dictionary that came a century before Wada's — Syme matched 110 named colours to birds, minerals and plants so naturalists in the field could describe what they saw precisely. Darwin carried a copy on the Beagle. The same instinct as this whole archive, just 1821's version of it.

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Torn between the two Wada dictionaries? Vol 1 vs Vol 2, compared plate by plate →