Showa era
Isabella Color & Red Violet
Plate 4 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Isabella Color, Red Violet.
#59256a
purple · 8 palettes
Red Violet
About Red Violet
Red Violet is a deep, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #59256a — that is
RGB 89, 37, 106, or HSL 285°, 48%, 28%.
It holds 11.1:1 contrast against white, so Red Violet works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 11.1:1; on black 1.9:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Red Violet appears in 8 combinations — most often paired with Dull Viridian Green, Isabella Color and Brick Red.
Colours that go with Red Violet
From a standard colour wheel, Red Violet anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#59256a #366A25
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#59256a #36256A #6A2559
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#59256a #6A5925 #256A59
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#59256a #596A25 #256A36
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Red Violet
Red Violet is a deep, muted tone (HSL 285°, 48%, 28%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (11.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#366A25) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#36256A and #6A2559) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Red Violet off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
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Palettes with Red Violet
Red Violet appears in 8 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Red Violet
- What is the hex code for Red Violet?
- Red Violet is #59256a. It appears in 8 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Red Violet look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Red Violet (#59256a) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 11.07:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 1.90:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Red Violet come from?
- Red Violet is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued purple pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Red Violet in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#59256a) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
- Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
- Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
- CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
See what's inside
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