Crimson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Crimson (disambiguation).
| Crimson | ||
|---|---|---|
| — Color coordinates — | ||
| Hex triplet | #DC143C | |
| RGBa | (r, g, b) | (220, 20, 60) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (348°, 91%, 86%) |
| a: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | ||
Crimson is a strong, bright deep red color combined with some blue, resulting in a tiny degree of purple.
It is originally the color of the dye produced from the dried bodies of the cochineal insect (Coccus cacti); however the name is also used for slightly bluish red colors in general that are between red and rose.
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[edit] Etymology
The word "crimson", recorded in English since 1416, in its earlier forms cremesin, crymysyn, also cramoysin, cf. cramoisy (a red cloth), is adapted via Old Spanish cremesin "of or belonging to the kermes", from the Medieval Latin cremesinus for kermesinus or carmesinus, the dye produced from the shield-louse Kermes vermilio (Coccus ilicis), Arabic & Persian قرمز qirmiz, which stems from Sanskrit krmi-ja (cognate with Latin vermis and English worm. From the Latin carminus, a shortened form of carmesinus, comes carmine), a compound meaning "(red dye) produced by a worm", from krmih "worm" + -ja, "produced" (from Proto-Indo-European *gene-). Cognates include O.C.S. čruminu, Russian čermnyj "red," from the same source. Cf. also vermilion.
[edit] Dyes
The insects were gathered commercially in Mediterranean countries, where they live on the Kermes oak, and sold throughout Europe. Kermes dyes have been found in burial wrappings in Anglo-Scandinavian York. It fell out of use with the introduction of cochineal. The dyes were comparable in quality and color intensity, but ten to twelve times as much kermes was needed to produce the same effect as cochineal.
Alizarin crimson is a pigment that was first synthesized in 1868 by the German chemists Carl Gräbe and Carl Liebermann and replaced the natural pigment madder lake. Alizarin crimson is a dye bonded onto alum which is then used as a pigment. It is not totally colorfast, when mixed with ochre, sienna and umber.
Crimson, or crimson Lake, or carmine is sometimes the names given to the dye made from the dried bodies of the female cochineals although it is more common to call the pigment "cochineal" after the insect from which it is made. It appears to have been discovered during the conquest of Mexico by Spaniard Hernán Cortés and brought to Europe in early 1500s. Carmine was first described by Mathioli in 1549.
Carmine is an aluminium and calcium salt of carminic acid and carmine lake is an aluminium or aluminum-tin lake of cochineal extract, whereas Crimson lake is prepared by striking down an infusion of cochineal with a 5 percent solution of alum and cream of tartar. Purple lake is prepared like carmine lake with the addition of lime to produce the deep purple tone. Carmine dyes tend to fade fast.
As a food additive, carmines have E number E120. It is also called cochineal and Natural Red 4.
[edit] Practical Uses
This dye was once widely prized in both the Americas and in Europe. It was used in paints by Michelangelo and on the fabrics of the Hussars, the Turks, the British Redcoats, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nowadays carmine dyes are used for coloring foodstuffs, medicines and cosmetics. They are also used in some oil paints and watercolors used by artists.
[edit] Crimson in Human Culture
- In English, it is traditionally associated with the color of blood, and hence is associated with violence, courage and martyrdom. It was the most distinctive color of British officers' uniforms until the introduction of khaki camouflage, and remains in use for the colours (flag). The Kings Royal Hussars still wear crimson trousers. However, the haemoglobin red is darker and has a lower chroma, while the haemoglobin molecule is structurally unrelated.
- In Polish, karmazyn 'crimson' is also a synonym for a Magnate.
- Crimson is the school color of several universities, including Harvard University, Saint Joseph's University, the University of Alabama, Washington State University, Indiana University, the University of Utah and the University of Oklahoma.
- The daily newspaper at Harvard is called The Harvard Crimson while the daily newspaper at Alabama is called The Crimson White.
- Harvard's athletic teams are the Crimson, while the University of Alabama competes as The Crimson Tide. Morristown-Beard School in New Jersey, a prep school founded by Harvard graduates has Crimson as its team names. Morristown-Beard School.
- Also duPont Manual High School adopted the Crimson in 1892 and the football team is known as the Manual Crimsons.
- In fiction, the primary villain of Stephen King's Dark Tower series is the Crimson King. The Crimson King also makes appearances in other King works, such as the novel Insomnia. Bev Vincent notes in his The Road to the Dark Tower that the color is intended to symbolize sickness, madness, and pain.
- In the United States Army, crimson is the color of the Ordnance Corps.
- The international non-profit Greek letter organizations Kappa Alpha Psi and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (ΔΣΘ), Incorporated, uses crimson and cream as its official colors.
- In the computer game Diablo using an eldritch shrine will give you the message "Crimson and Azure becomes as the sun", referring to its magical effect; turning all health (red) and mana (blue) potions into rejuvination (yellow) potions.
- Crimson is a name given to Rosso in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- for her red outfit and bloodthirsty nature.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
(incomplete)
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Etymology OnLine
