Hay's Russet & Ecru +2

About this combination

Combination 249 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 4-colour grouping of Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher, Dark Medici Blue, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 249 of Wada's 348 anchors Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher and Dark Medici Blue in the red family — a 4-colour grouping with a refined, warm, bold character, recorded in the Showa-era volumes of Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, where these shikisai names have sat in the public domain for generations. Its strongest pairing — Hay's Russet on Olive Ocher — reaches a contrast ratio of 4.52:1, meeting the WCAG AA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.