31st August '17: Mauve confusion

Happy Thursday, Colour Filers
Last night I played the ‘So what colour IS it exactly?’ game. It’s where I look at a picture for what feels like aeons, plough through scores of books and acres of memory, Google and cogitate for a bit
then decide I’ve either found the name I was looking for or have failed to draw a conclusion. I mainly play it alone so it’s a kind of rainbow solitaire or patience. Last night, I went to bed still puzzled. And all because of this striking gem of a colour whose description defies me. The @secretlivesofcolour got me started on mauve (Mauvine dye was discovered by accident by a scientist trying to cure malaria) before moving through heliotrope and out the other side. Three more colour books later plus trying to reason with an insistent voice that kept on piping up, ‘Yes, but, could it be pink?’, I decided to be guided by the floral pic and declare quite simply, ‘This is foxglove purple.’ I love discovering colour names – often ancient in origin but new to me – so if you feel there’s one that better describes this hue, then please challenge me. A new colour name is just about guaranteed to make my day. Any thoughts? Catch you later.
Martha, The Colour File x

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