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Lavender is a light shade of purple or
violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...
. It applies particularly to the color of the flower of the same name. The web color called lavender is displayed at right—it matches the color of the very palest part of the lavender flower; however, the more saturated color shown below as '' floral lavender'' more closely matches the average color of the lavender flower as shown in the picture and is the tone of lavender historically and traditionally considered ''lavender'' by the average person as opposed to those who are website designers. The color lavender might be described as a ''medium purple'' or a ''light pinkish-purple''. The term ''lavender'' may be used in general to apply to a wide range of pale, light or grayish-purples but only on the blue side. Lilac is pale purple on the pink side. In paints, the color lavender is made by mixing purple and white paint. The first recorded use of the word ''lavender'' as a color term in English was in 1705.


Historical development of the concept of the color

Originally, the name ''lavender'' only applied to flowers. By 1930, the book ''A Dictionary of Color'' identified three major shades of lavender—''
loral Loral may refer to: * Loral Corporation, contractor founded in 1948 in New York by William Lorenz and Leon Alpert as Loral Electronics Corporation * Loral Space & Communications, satellite communications company * Loral GZ-22, a non-rigid airship * ...
lavender'', ''lavender gray'', and ''lavender blue'', and in addition a fourth shade of lavender called ''old lavender'' (a dark lavender gray) (all four of these shades of lavender are shown below). By 1955, the publication of the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (a color dictionary used by stamp collectors to identify the colors of stamps), now on the Internet, listed dozens of different shades of lavender. Today, although the color floral lavender (the color of the flower of the lavender plant) remains the standard for lavender, just as there are many shades of pink (light red, light rose, and light magenta colors), there are many shades of lavender (some light magenta, some light purple, ostlylight violet
s well as some grayish-violet S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...
and some light indigo colors).


Variations


Lavender blush

Displayed at right is the web color lavender blush. It is a pale pinkish tone of lavender.


Lavender mist (web color lavender)

The color designated as the web color lavender is a very pale tint of lavender that in other ( artistic) contexts may be described as lavender mist.


Languid lavender

Displayed at right is the color languid lavender. The source of this color is the ''Plochere Color System'', a color system formulated in 1948 that is widely used by interior designers.


Lavender gray

The historical name for this color is lavender gray. It is listed in ''A Dictionary of Color'' as one of the three major variations of lavender in 1930 along with ''lavender blue'' (shown below) and
loral Loral may refer to: * Loral Corporation, contractor founded in 1948 in New York by William Lorenz and Leon Alpert as Loral Electronics Corporation * Loral Space & Communications, satellite communications company * Loral GZ-22, a non-rigid airship * ...
''lavender'' (also shown below). (This book also designates a fourth shade of lavender, called ''old lavender'', also shown below). This color is similar to Prismacolor colored pencil PC 1026, ''Greyed Lavender''.


Soap

The color soap is displayed at right. ''Soap'' is a color formulated by Crayola in 1994 as one of the colors in its Magic Scent specialty box of colors. This color is a representation of soap scented with lavender, one of the most popular scents for soap.


Pale lavender

At right is displayed the pale tint of lavender shown as ''lavender'' in sample 209 in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names.


Lavender blue

Lavender blue was listed in ''A Dictionary of Color'' as one of the three major variations of lavender in 1930 along with ''lavender gray'' (shown above) and
loral Loral may refer to: * Loral Corporation, contractor founded in 1948 in New York by William Lorenz and Leon Alpert as Loral Electronics Corporation * Loral Space & Communications, satellite communications company * Loral GZ-22, a non-rigid airship * ...
''lavender'' (shown below). It is identified as being the same color as periwinkle. The first use of the term ''lavender blue'' as a color term was in 1926.


Light lavender (wisteria)

The color wisteria is displayed at right. ''Wisteria'', a ''light medium violet'' color is equivalent to light lavender. The Prismacolor colored pencil PC 956, which used to be called ''light violet'' and is now called ''lilac'' (the actual color of the colored pencil is equivalent to wisteria rather than
lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
) is this color. Wisteria in this exact shade is one of the Crayola crayon colors on the
list of Crayola crayon colors Since the introduction of Crayola drawing crayons by Binney & Smith in 1903, more than 200 distinctive colors have been produced in a wide variety of assortments. The table below represents all of the colors found in regular Crayola assortment ...
. It was formulated as a Crayola color in 1993. The first recorded use of ''wisteria'' as a color name in English was in 1892.


Pink lavender

The color pink lavender is displayed at right. The source of this color is the " Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #14-3207 TPX—Pink Lavender.


Lavender pink

After the introduction of the Munsell color system, in which purple, described as equivalent to
red-violet Red-violet refers to a rich color of high medium saturation about 3/4 of the way between red and magenta, closer to magenta than to red. In American English, this color term is sometimes used in color theory as one of the purple colors—a non ...
, is described as one of the five psychological primary colors along with red, yellow, green, and blue, some people began to think of lavender as being somewhat more pinkish color. This color can be described as lavender pink or ''pale pinkish-purple'' when purple is defined as equivalent to ''red-violet'' as artists do. This tone of lavender, displayed at right, is the color designated as ''lavender'' (color #74) in the
list of Crayola crayon colors Since the introduction of Crayola drawing crayons by Binney & Smith in 1903, more than 200 distinctive colors have been produced in a wide variety of assortments. The table below represents all of the colors found in regular Crayola assortment ...
. This version of "lavender" is a lot pinker than the other shades of lavender shown here. Before 1958, the color shown below as ''medium lavender gray'' and now called ''purple mountain majesty'' by Crayola was called ''lavender'' in Crayola crayons.


Medium lavender magenta (web color plum)

At right is displayed the color medium lavender magenta which is equivalent to the web color version of plum (''pale plum''). This color may be regarded both as a tone of lavender since it is a light color between rose and blue and as a light medium tone of magenta because its red and blue values are equal (the color signature of a tone of magenta for computer display).


Heliotrope

The color heliotrope is shown at right. Another name for this color is ''
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
lavender'' because this color was a popular color often used in the
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
psychedelic poster art of the late 1960s for the Fillmore Auditorium and the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. These posters were sold in the head shops of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and were drawn and produced by such artists as
Wes Wilson Robert Wesley Wilson (July 15, 1937 – January 24, 2020) was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters. Best known for designing posters for Bill Graham of The Fillmore in San Francisco, he invented a style ...
, Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, and Victor Moscoso.


Lavender (floral)

At right is displayed the color Lavender (floral). This color matches the color shown as "lavender" (viewed under a
full-spectrum Full-spectrum light is light that covers the electromagnetic spectrum from infrared to near-ultraviolet, or all wavelengths that are useful to plant or animal life; in particular, sunlight is considered full spectrum, even though the solar spectral ...
fluorescent lamp) in the 1930 book ''A Dictionary of Color'' (reference below), the world standard for color names before the introduction of computers. This color may also be called floral lavender. It is a ''medium violet''. This tone of lavender would be the approximate color you would get if you mix 50%
violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...
paint and 50% white paint. This tone of lavender may be regarded as actual lavender and the other tones displayed in this article can be regarded as all variations on this shade. This lavender also closely matches the color given as ''lavender'' in a basic purpl
color chart


Amethyst

The color amethyst is a moderate, transparent
violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...
. Its name is derived from the stone
amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...
, a form of quartz. Amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February. The first recorded use of ''amethyst'' as a color name in English was in 1572. Though the color of natural amethyst varies from purple to yellow, the amethyst color referred to here is the moderate purple color most commonly associated with amethyst stones. There is disagreement as to the cause of the purple color of the amethyst stone. Some believe that the color is due to the presence of manganese, while others have suggested that the amethyst color could be from ferric thiocyanate or
sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
found in amethyst stones.


Deep lavender (web color medium purple)

Displayed at right is the web color medium purple which is equivalent to ''deep medium violet'' or deep lavender.


Lavender purple (purple mountain majesty)

Displayed at right is the color purple mountain majesty, a Crayola color since 1993. This color may be regarded as a ''medium lavender gray''. This color was the color called ''lavender'' in Crayola crayons before 1958, when Crayola switched to calling the color shown above as ''lavender pink'' as being ''lavender''. See the website "Lost Crayola Crayon Colors". Because of that, another name for this color is lavender purple. This color is a representation of the way mountains look when they are far away.


English lavender

Displayed at right is the color English lavender. ''English lavender'' is a medium light tone of grayish pinkish lavender. The source of this color is the " Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #17-3617 TPX—English Lavender.


Twilight lavender

The color twilight lavender is displayed at right. ''Twilight lavender'' is a color formulated by Crayola in 1990 as one of the colors in its Silver Swirls specialty box of metallic colors. Although this is supposed to be a '' metallic'' color, there is no mechanism for displaying metallic colors on a computer.


Old lavender

The dark lavender gray color displayed at right is called old lavender. It is a ''dark grayish-violet''. The first recorded use of ''old lavender'' as a color name in English was in the year 1924.


In culture


Fashion

*In the formal rules of mourning dress in
Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
,
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...
, and Edwardian Britain, lavender was one of the few colors generally considered acceptable for women's clothing during the period of half-mourning, during which the bereaved was considered to still be in mourning and required to dress in sober, muted tones, but was not expected to wear the all-black garments of full mourning. *Lavender roses are symbolic of "love at first sight". *In 1995 actress Uma Thurman wore a notable lavender colored dress by Prada to the Academy Award ceremonies, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.


LGBT

*Just as in the 1890s mauve symbolized homosexuality, the tone of lavender described above as '' ruelavender'' or ''floral lavender'' became the symbol of homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s. The first usage was in the 1920s to indicate an effeminate style. In 1923, Harold Hersey wrote a tongue-in-cheek poem called "
The Lavender Cowboy "The Lavender Cowboy" was originally a 1923 humorous poem by American pulp editor and publisher Harold Hersey about an unmanly cowboy "with only two hairs on his chest" who comes out a hero. It was then set to music and appeared in the 1930 Wester ...
" about an unmanly cowboy with "only two hairs on his chest". Seán O'Casey wrote in 1928, "I am very sorry... that I have hurt the refined sentimentalities of C. W. Allen by neglecting to use the lavender... language of the 18th and 19th centuries."
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...
's 1929 song "I'm a Gigolo" went: "I'm a famous gigolo, And of lavender, my nature's got just a dash in it." A 1935 dictionary of slang reported "streak of lavender," meant an effeminate man or a sissy, a term used in 1926 by Carl Sandburg to describe young Abraham Lincoln. In the 1960s, homophiles were sometimes referred to as the ''lavender boys'' (this term is still used by some people (both gay and non-gay) to refer to gays). A ''lavender convention'' is a convention of homosexuals. A heterosexual who has some homosexual tendencies is described as someone with a ''dash of lavender''. In the 1970s pink became more often associated with homosexuality because of the use of the pink triangle as a symbol of gay liberation. However, gays of the
baby boom generation Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. The ...
still think of lavender as the gayest color. According to some sources, the reason lavender symbolizes homosexuality is because it is the color that is obtained when you mix pink (the color symbolizing girls) with
baby blue Baby blue is a tint of azure, one of the pastel colors. The first recorded use of ''baby blue'' as a color name in English was in 1892. Variations of baby blue Beau blue Beau blue is a light tone of baby blue. "Beau" means "beautiful" in Fr ...
(the color symbolizing boys). * Lavender roses are sometimes given by LGBT people to each other on Valentine's Day or may be given to those entering into a same-sex marriage. * A lavender marriage is a marriage between a man and a woman in which one, or both, parties are, or are assumed to be, homosexual. Usually, but not always, both parties are assumed to be complicit in a public deception to hide their homosexuality (although in some lavender marriages, the marriage partners may be
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
). * In the
bandana code The handkerchief code (also known as the hanky code, the bandana code, and flagging) is a system of color-coded cloth handkerchief or bandanas for non-verbally communicating one's interests in sexual activities and fetishes. The color of the han ...
of the gay leather subculture, wearing a lavender bandana symbolizes that you have a fetish for dressing in
drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...
. * '' Lavender'' is the name of a LGBT magazine in Minnesota. * The
Lavender Dragon Society ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...
was a club for gay
Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1990s and early 2000s. * The Lavender Families Resource Network, formerly known as the Mothers' National Defense Fund, was a Seattle-based organization started in 1974 with the aim to provide lesbian and bisexual women with resources and information relating to child-rearing, custody and adoption issues, and donor insemination. *
Lavender Graduation Lavender graduation is an annual graduation ceremony conducted at universities to honor LGBTQ students and acknowledge their accomplishments and contributions. It was created by Ronni Sanlo, a lesbian keynote speaker in LGBTQ communities. Lavende ...
is an event that occurs annually at many colleges and universities where LGBT students get their own graduation ceremony to celebrate their identities and achievements. * The study of language used specifically by LGBT speakers is known as lavender linguistics. * The LGBTQIA caucus of the Green Party of the United States is the Lavender Greens. * The
lavender scare The "lavender scare" was a moral panic about homosexual people in the United States government which led to their mass dismissal from government service during the mid-20th century. It contributed to and paralleled the anti-communist campaign wh ...
refers to the fear and persecution of
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
s in the 1950s in the United States, which paralleled the
anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
campaign known as
McCarthyism McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origin ...
. * A
synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
used for the original ''gay liberation'' movement which began in 1969 is referring to the movement as the ''
lavender revolution The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xiii. ...
''. * During the 1960s feminism movement, lesbians were rejected by the then head of the National Organization for Women, Betty Friedan, calling them the " Lavender Menace". These lesbian radical feminists adopted the name for their own informal group, consisting of many members of the Gay Liberation Front. * The
Lavender Panthers Lavender Panthers was an armed self-defence group for the LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco, active from the summer of 1973 until the spring of 1974. Its leader was Raymond Broshears, a gay Pentecostal Evangelist preacher and activist. Backgro ...
was a
gay rights activist A list of notable LGBT rights activists who have worked to advance LGBT rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically. Argentina * Claudia Castrosín Verdú, she and her partner were the first les ...
group in San Francisco during the early 1970s, led by the Reverend
Ray Broshears Raymond Broshears (February 14, 1935 – January 10, 1982) was a gay Pentecostal Evangelist preacher and activist who founded the Lavender Panthers, an armed self-defense group for the LGBT community in San Francisco, active from the summer ...
. *
Lavender Country Lavender Country was an American country music band formed in 1972 whose self-titled 1973 album is the first known gay-themed album in country music history. Based in Seattle, Washington, the band originally consisted of lead singer and guitarist ...
was an American country music band whose 1973 self-titled album was made up entirely of gay-themed songs.


Music

*"
Lavender Blue "Lavender's Blue" (also called "Lavender Blue") is an English folk song and nursery rhyme from the 17th century. Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 3483. It has been recorded in various forms and some pop versions have been hits in the U.S. a ...
", originally an English folk song dating to the 17th century. This song became very popular during the 1950s rock and roll era, when it was sung by
Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...
. A hit version of the song, sung by Burl Ives, was featured in the Walt Disney movie '' So Dear to My Heart''. *"Lavender" is a song by
Marillion Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...
on the 1985 album ''
Misplaced Childhood ''Misplaced Childhood'' is the third studio album by the British neo-progressive rock band Marillion, released in 1985. It is a concept album loosely based on the childhood of Marillion's lead singer, Fish (singer), Fish, who was inspired by a ...
''. It quotes the folk song "Lavender Blue" in its lyrics. *"Lavender" is a song by
October Noir October Noir is a gothic/ doom metal band formed in Pensacola, Florida in 2016. They have released 3 full-length albums and 9 stand-alone singles. Background October Noir was started by Tom Noir in late 2016 and released the first album, ''The Ha ...
on the 2019 album ''Thirteen''.Lavender by October Noir on Amazon Music
/ref> *"
Lavender Haze "Lavender Haze" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her tenth studio album, ''Midnights'' (2022). It was written by Swift, Jack Antonoff, Jahaan Sweet, Sounwave, Zoë Kravitz, and Sam Dew, and produced by the first four in ...
" is a song by Taylor Swift on the 2022 album ''
Midnights ''Midnights'' is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 21, 2022, via Republic Records. Announced at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, the album marks Swift's first body of new work since her 2020 ...
''.


Religion

*In Theosophy and the
Ascended Master Teachings Ascendency or ascendancy is a quantitative attribute of an ecosystem, defined as a function of the ecosystem's trophic network. Ascendency is derived using mathematical tools from information theory. It is intended to capture in a single index ...
(a group of religions based on Theosophy), since the color
violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...
represents the
deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
St. Germain, and lavender is simply a light tone of violet, lavender as well as violet objects may be placed on the altar to St. Germain. *The
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
holiday of Easter is represented by lavender and yellow because the crocus flower, which is lavender and yellow, blooms in Europe in the spring.


Film, television and video games

*'' Ladies in Lavender'' is a 2004 film by Charles Dance. * Lavender Town is a purple-tinted town in the
Kanto Kantō (Japanese) Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics. In Japan Kantō may refer to: *Kantō Plain *Kantō region *Kantō-kai, organized crime group *Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in the ' ...
region in the ''
Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...
'' video games. It is well-known for being a graveyard for Pokémon, and the many ghosts that haunt it.


Numismatics

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a lavender colored banknote of ₹100 denomination under
Mahatma Gandhi New Series The Mahatma Gandhi New Series of banknotes are issued by the Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It ...
. The bank note measures 142 mm × 66 mm. Image:Rs_100_note_front_view.jpg, Indian 100 rupee note, obverse Image:Rs_100_note_back_view.jpg, Indian 100 rupee note, reverse


See also

* LGBT symbols *
Lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
* List of colors * Mauve


References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lavender (Color) Quaternary colors Shades of violet LGBT terminology