Purple Daze 2, Deeper into History

In "Purple Daze 1, Various Purply Names", I focused on various purply colors. I mentioned a "The Meanings of Purple" statement: "The earliest purple dyes date back to about 1900 B.C. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye - barely enough for dying a single garment the size of the Roman toga." This article dives deepter into purple history.

From "Purple Color: Meanings and Uses"

The color purple is synonymous with royalty. This mysterious color is associated with both nobility and spirituality.

Purple has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac and violet flowers are delicate. Because the color is derived from a mix of a strong warm and strong cool color, it has both warm and cool properties.

Deep or bright purples suggest riches, while lighter purples are more romantic, delicate and feminine. Use redder purples for a warm color scheme or the bluer purples for a cool scheme.

Crayola actually has a crayon named "orchid" (purple family). On the other hand, "The Amazing True History Of Orchids And What Their Colors Represent" contains a few non-purply orchid images that don't fit the Crayola model.

From "Why Is the Color Purple Associated With Royalty?"

The color purple has been associated with royalty, power and wealth for centuries. … Purple fabric used to be so outrageously expensive that only rulers could afford it. … it became associated with the imperial classes of Rome, Egypt, and Persia. Purple also came to represent spirituality and holiness because the ancient emperors, kings and queens that wore the color were often thought of as gods or descendents of the gods. …

In 1856, 18-year-old English chemist William Henry Perkin accidently created a synthetic purple compound while attempting to synthesize quinine, an anti-malaria drug . … he patented the dye and manufactured it under the name aniline purple and Tyrian purple, … The color's name was later changed to "mauve" in 1859, …

From "The Rich and Royal History of Purple, the Color of 2018", which includes similar historical information as "Why Is the Color Purple Associated With Royalty?". It also describes Pantene's color of the year for 2018.

The Pantone Color Institute, which helps makers of products select color for designs, announced this week that it chose to paint the coming year Ultra Violet, a purple-highlighter shade.

Leatrice Eiseman, the institute’s executive director, told The New York Times in an article in the Fashion and Style section published Thursday. “Because it takes two shades that are seemingly diametrically opposed — blue and red — and brings them together to create something new.”

About "ultraviolet": "The 2018 Pantone color of the year is definitely not purple" stresses "Pantone’s 2018 marquee color’s name is a misnomer. Ultraviolet is not a color that most humans can see because it’s outside the visible spectrum. … Only individuals with a condition called aphakia (the absence of eye lens) can perceive ultraviolet as a color."

More Purple Passion Links

Want more purple-themed resources, purple-possessed people?
"Purple Lives Here" claims "Over 1,100 purple items. We find the true purple items so you can trust it won't arrive pink or blue."

"All About The Color PURPLE" has exhaustive lists about purple, including sections for "COMPANIES OR BRANDS IDENTIFIED BY PURPLE" and "SONGS WITH PURPLE IN THE TITLE", purple WRT food (taste, sense of smell), and political and societal connotations. Chances are good if you've thought of a purple term, this site lists it.