492. In explaining the applications of the law of contrast to the colours of Male Clothing, my intention is to discuss principally the question of the combination of colours in military uniforms as a matter of State economy; and, in the case of Female Clothing, the combinations which are most suitable for a portrait. The first question is entirely one of administrative economy; the second belongs solely to the domain of art.
I shall attain my end if, in the views set forth, the portrait-painter find the means of selecting associations of colours which, by imparting to his works more brilliancy and harmony, render them thereby less likely to appear antiquated when the prevailing fashion of his time is forgotten.
493. A dress composed of cloths of different colours may be worn much longer, and will appear better, although nearly worn out, than a suit of a single colour, even when the latter is of a piece of cloth identical with one of the first. The law of contrast fully gives the reason of this fact.
494. Contrast in the colours of cloths composing a dress is not only advantageous to the brightness and apparent preservation of the colours of these cloths, but also to render less visible the inequalities which a cloth presents on account of the colouring material not having equally penetrated to the centre of the stuff; the surface wearing unequally, according as it is exposed to different degrees of friction, the colour of the cloth becomes lighter, or, as it is commonly called, whitens, in the parts most exposed to friction. Many blue, scarlet, and madder-red cloths present this result, especially on the salient parts of the vestment, such as the seams.
495. This defect which certain cloths have of whitening in the seams is much less apparent in a coat of two or more colours than it is in a monochromous coat; because the vivid contrast of different colours, fixing immediately the attention of the spectator, prevents the eye from perceiving the inequalities, which would be visible in a monochromic coat.
For this reason stains, on the same ground, will always be less apparent in a polychromous than in a monochromous garment or dress.
496. For the same reason also a coat, waistcoat, and trousers of the same colour cannot be worn together with advantage, except when new; for when one of them has lost its freshness, by having been more worn than the others, the difference will be increased by contrast. Thus new black trousers worn with a coat and waistcoat of the same colour, but old and slightly rusty, will bring out this latter tint, while at the same time the black of the trousers will appear brighter. White trousers or reddish-grey will correct the defect. We see, then, the advantage of having a soldier’s trousers of another colour than his coat, especially if, wearing this coat all the year, he only wears trousers of the same cloth during winter. We see also why white trousers are favourable to coats of every colour.
497. Although there are many varieties of the human race with respect to the colour of the skin, yet we may arrange them in the three following divisions:—The Caucasian, or white race; the American Indians, whose skin is red or copper-coloured; the negro race, the Malays, &c., who have black or olive skins.
498. To give precision to this subject, we must begin by establishing certain distinctions.
1. That of the two types, with skins more or less white and rosy:—
2. That of the juxtaposition of the articles of the toilet, whether pertaining to the hair or to the complexion; for a colour may contrast favourably to the hair, yet produce a disagreeable effect with the skin.
3. That of the modifications of the complexion, by coloured rays emanating from the head-dress, and which, being reflected on the skin, tinge it with their peculiar colour.
499. The colour of light hair being essentially the result of a mixture of red, yellow, and brown, we must consider it as a very pale subdued orange-brown; the colour of the skin, although a lower tone, is analogous to it, except in the red parts. Blue eyes are really the only parts of the fair type which form a contrast of colour with the whole; for the red parts produce, with the rest of the skin, only a harmony of analogy of hue, or at most a contrast of hue, and not of colour; and the parts of the skin contiguous to the hair, the eyebrows, and eyelashes, give rise only to a harmony of analogy, either of scale or of hue. The harmonies of analogy, then, evidently predominate in the fair type over the harmonies of contrast.
500. The type with black hair shows the harmonies of contrast predominating over the harmonies of analogy. The hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and eyes, contrast in tone and colour, not only with the white of the skin, but also with the red parts, which in this type are really redder, or less roseate, than in the blonde type; and we must not forget that a decided red, associated with black, gives to the latter the character of an excessively deep colour, either blue or green.
501. The colours which are usually considered as assorting best with light or black hair, are precisely those which produce great contrasts; thus, sky-blue, known to accord well with blondes, is the colour that approaches the nearest to the complementary of orange, which is the basis of the tint of their hair and complexions. Two colours, long esteemed to accord favourably with black hair—yellow, and red more or less orange—contrast in the same manner with them. Yellow and orange-red, contrasting by colour and brilliancy with black, and their complementaries, violet and blue-green, in mixing with the tint of the hair, are far from producing a bad result.
502. The juxtaposition of drapery with the different flesh tints of women offers to portrait-painters a host of remarks, which are all the results of the principles already laid down. We shall state the most general: thus—
503. Rose-red cannot be put in contrast with even the rosiest complexions without causing them to lose some of their freshness. Rose-red, maroon, and light crimson have the serious disadvantage of rendering the complexion more or less green. This is shown in the following experiment:—
Place two sheets of paper of either of the above colours beside two sheets of flesh-coloured paper, when it will be seen how much they are mutually injured, the lighter becoming greenish, and the darker rather of a violet hue. By substituting light green for the red, we shall find them mutually heightened and improved. The height of tone of the green influences the result: a very deep green, acting by contrast of tone, so enfeebles the complexion, that the slight contrasts of its colours will be inappreciable; a deep red, by contrast of analogy, blanches the complexion. It is necessary, then, to separate the rose from the skin, in some manner; and the simplest manner of doing this, is to edge the draperies with a border of tulle, which produces the effect of grey by the mixture of white threads, which reflect light, and the interstices, which absorb it; there is also a mixture of light and shade, which recalls the effect of grey, like the effect of a casement-window viewed at a great distance. Dark red is less objectionable for certain complexions than rose-red, because, being higher than the latter, it tends to impart whiteness to them in consequence of contrast of tone.
504. Delicate Green is, on the contrary, favourable to all fair complexions which are deficient in rose, and which may have more imparted to them without disadvantage. But it is not as favourable to complexions that are more red than rosy; nor to those that have a tint of orange mixed with brown, because the red they add to this tint will be of a brick-red hue. In the latter case a dark green will be less objectionable than a delicate green.
505. Yellow imparts violet to a fair skin, and in this view it is less favourable than the delicate green.
To those skins which are more yellow than orange it imparts white; but this combination is very dull and heavy for a fair complexion.
When the skin is tinted more with orange than yellow, we can make it rosy by neutralizing the yellow. It produces this effect upon the black-haired type, and it is thus that it suits brunettes.
506. Violet, the complementary of yellow, produces contrary effects; thus it imparts some greenish-yellow to fair complexions. It augments the yellow tint of yellow and orange skins. The little blue there may be in a complexion it makes green-violet. This, then, is one of the least favourable colours to the skin, at least when it is not sufficiently deep to whiten the skin by contrast of tone.
507. Blue imparts orange, which combines favourably with white, and the light flesh tints of fair complexions, which have already a more or less determined tint of this colour. Blue is thus suitable to most blondes, and in this case justifies its reputation.
It will not suit brunettes, since they have already too much of orange.
508. Orange is too brilliant to be elegant; it makes fair complexions blue, whitens those which have an orange tint, and gives a green hue to those of a yellow tint.
509. Lustreless White, such as cambric muslin, assorts well with a fresh complexion, of which it relieves the rose colour; but it is unsuitable to complexions which have a disagreeable tint, because white always exalts all colours by raising their tone; consequently it is unsuitable to those skins which, without having this disagreeable tint, very nearly approach it.
510. Very Light White draperies, such as muslin or lace, appear more grey than white. (See 503.) We must thus regard every white drapery which allows the light to pass through its interstices, and which is only apparent to the eyes by the surface opposed to that which receives incident light.
511. Black draperies, by lowering the tone of the colours with which they are in juxtaposition, whiten the skin; but if the vermilion, or rosy parts, are somewhat distant from the drapery, it will follow that, although lowered in tone, they appear relatively to the white parts of the skin contiguous to the same drapery, redder than if not contiguous to the black. This effect is analogous to that mentioned (385).
512. The effect of coloured bonnets on the complexion can now be readily understood; and whether it is true, as is generally believed, that a rose-coloured bonnet gives a rose tint to the skin, while a green bonnet gives a green tint to it, in consequence of the coloured rays which each of them reflects upon it, it is no longer a question about those head-dresses which, being too small or too much thrown back to give rise to these reflections, can only produce the effects of contrast, as I have said above, when treating of the juxtaposition of coloured objects with the hair and skin (501, et seq.)
513. If an object in relief is illuminated exclusively by a coloured light, it will appear tinted with the colour of this light. A white plaster figure, for example, placed in an enclosure where the red rays illuminate it, will appear red, at least to most eyes, and under most circumstances; for certain eyes, in some cases, may perceive the sensation of the complementary of the coloured rays in looking at some parts of the figure.
514. But if the figure is placed so as to receive, at the same time, coloured rays and diffused daylight, there will be produced on the eyes of a spectator, suitably placed, a complex effect; resulting—
1. From some parts of the figure being white, reflecting to the eyes of the spectator the coloured rays falling from above.
2. From some parts of the figure reflecting diffused daylight in sufficient quantity to appear white, or almost white.
3. From there being between the parts which reflect coloured light to the eye, and those which send diffused daylight, some parts in a condition which appears to be complementary to the reflected coloured light.
515. One very remarkable consequence of this is, that the rays of mutually complementary colours, successively lighting the same object, concurrently with the diffused daylight, give rise to the same coloration.
516. This may be proved thus:—Between two windows directly opposite to each other, admitting diffused daylight, place a white plaster figure in such a position that each half shall be lighted directly by only one of the windows. On completely intercepting the light of one of the windows, and hanging a coloured curtain before the other, the figure appears only of the colour of the curtain; but if we open the other window, so that the figure is lighted by diffused daylight, while it is at the same time lighted by the coloured light, we then perceive some parts white, and some parts tinted with the complementary of the coloured light transmitted by the curtain.
517. This experiment, then, teaches us, that if a bonnet, rose-coloured, for example, give rise to a reflection of this colour on a complexion, the parts thus made rosy by the effect of contrast, themselves give rise to green tints, since the figure, while it receives rosy reflections, receives also diffused daylight.
518. To consider the real influence of the bonnet, we place three white plaster casts of the same model in a position equally illuminated by daylight; then observe them comparatively, after having clothed the middle cast with a white bonnet, and the two others with bonnets of which the colour of one is complementary to that of the other. In this way we may satisfy ourselves that the influence of reflection in colouring a figure is very feeble, even when the bonnet is placed in the most favourable manner for observing the phenomenon.
519. Rose-coloured Bonnet.—Rose colour reflected upon the skin is very feeble, except on the temples; wherever the rosy parts are contiguous to parts feebly lighted by daylight, the latter will appear very lightly tinged with green.
520. Green Bonnet.—Green colour reflected upon the skin is very feeble, except on the temples; wherever the green parts are contiguous to parts feebly lighted by daylight, the latter will appear slightly rosy; the effect of green in colouring it rose, is greater than the effect of reflected rose in colouring it green.
521. Yellow Bonnet.—Yellow colour reflected upon the skin is very feeble, except on the temples; wherever the yellow parts are contiguous to parts feebly illuminated by daylight, the latter will appear very sensibly violet.
522. Violet Bonnet.—Violet colour reflected on the skin is very feeble, even on the temples; wherever the violet parts are contiguous to parts feebly illuminated by daylight, the latter will appear slightly yellow; but this coloration is very feeble, because the reflections of violet have it themselves.
523. Sky-blue Bonnet.—Blue colour reflected on the skin is very feeble, except on the temples; wherever the blue parts are contiguous to parts feebly illuminated by daylight, the latter will appear slightly orange.
524. Orange Bonnet.—Orange colour reflected on the skin is very feeble, except on the temples; wherever the parts are contiguous to parts feebly illuminated by daylight, the latter will appear slightly blue.
525. It is evident, then, from these experiments, that a coloured bonnet produces much more effect by virtue of contrast, arising from juxtaposition with the flesh tints, than by the coloured reflections which it imparts to them.
526. Let us now see what advantage the painter can derive from the preceding observations, when he prescribes a bonnet to a model, belonging either to the light-haired or to the black-haired type.
527. A black bonnet with white feathers, with white rose or red, suits a fair complexion.
528. A lustreless white bonnet does not suit well with fair and rosy complexions. It is otherwise with bonnets of gauze, crape, or lace; they are suitable to all complexions. The white bonnet may have flowers, either white, rose, or particularly blue.
529. A light blue bonnet is particularly suitable to the light-haired type; it may be ornamented with white flowers, and in many cases with yellow and orange flowers, but not with rose or violet flowers.
530. A green bonnet is advantageous to fair or rosy complexions; it may be trimmed with white flowers, but preferably with rose.
531. A rose-coloured bonnet must not be too close to the skin; and if it is found that the hair does not produce sufficient separation, the distance from the rose colour may be increased by means of white, or green, which is preferable. A wreath of white flowers in the midst of their leaves has a good effect.
532. I shall not advise the use of a light or deep red bonnet, except when the painter desires to diminish too warm a tint in the complexion.
533. Finally, the painter should never prescribe either yellow or orange-coloured bonnets, and be very reserved in the use of violet.
534. A black bonnet does not contrast so well with the general appearance of the type with black hair as with the other type, yet it may produce a good effect, and receive advantageously accessories of white, red, rose, orange, and yellow.
535. A white bonnet demands the same notice as that, concerning its use, in connexion with the blonde type (528), except that for brunettes it is better to give preference to accessories of red, rose, orange, and yellow, rather than of blue.
536. Bonnets of rose-red or cherry-colour are suitable for brunettes, when the hair separates, as much as possible, the bonnet from the complexion. White feathers accord well with red; and white flowers, with abundance of leaves, have a good effect with rose.
537. A yellow bonnet suits a brunette very well, and receives with advantage violet or blue accessories. The hair must always interpose between the complexion and the head-dress.
538. It is the same with bonnets of an orange colour, more or less broken, such as chamois, with which blue trimmings are eminently suitable.
539. A green bonnet is suitable to fair and light rosy complexions, rose-red or white flowers are preferable to all others.
540. A blue bonnet is only suitable to a fair or light-red complexion; nor can it be allied to such as have a tint of orange-brown. When it suits a brunette, it may take with advantage yellow or orange trimmings.
541. A violet bonnet is always unsuitable to every complexion, since there are none to which the addition of yellow will be favourable. Yet, if we interpose between the violet and the skin, not only the hair, but also yellow accessories, a bonnet of this colour may become favourable.
542. Whenever the colour of a bonnet does not realize the intended effect, even when the complexion is separated from the head-dress by large masses of hair, it is advantageous to place between the latter and the bonnet certain accessories, such as ribbons, wreaths, and detached flowers, &c., of a colour complementary to that of the bonnet, as I have prescribed for the violet bonnet. The same colour must also be placed on the outside.
543. The tint of the complexions of the women of the North American Indian races is too positive to induce them to endeavour to dissimulate, either by lowering its tone, or by neutralizing it. There is, then, no alternative but heightening it, for which purpose we must use draperies either of white or of blue strongly inclining to green, when the tint will become of a redder orange.
544. If I have prescribed the harmony of contrast of tone where the colour of the complexion is copper-red, there is a stronger reason for it when we have to drape olive or black skins; we can then use either white or the most brilliant colours, as red, orange, and yellow. The consideration of contrast determines which one we ought to choose in a particular case. If the complexion is intense black, dark olive, or greenish-black, red is preferable to every other colour; if the black is bluish, then orange is particularly suitable. Yellow will best accord with a violet-black.
545. Results applicable to Portrait painting.
The tint may be heightened without leaving its scale:—
1. By a white drapery which heightens by contrast of tone.
2. By a drapery the colour of which is exactly the complementary of the tint, and of which the tone is not too high; such as perhaps a green drapery for a rosy complexion; or perhaps a blue drapery for the orange complexion of a blonde. The tint may be heightened by making it leave its scale:—
1. By a green drapery of a light tone upon an orange complexion.
2. By a blue drapery of a light tone upon a rosy complexion.
3. By a yellow, canary, or straw-coloured drapery, upon an orange complexion, of which the complementary violet neutralizes some of the yellow of the complexion, and heightens its rose.
546. Note.—The modifications resulting from the juxtaposition of parts diversely coloured are much more positive than those arising from reflection by one part upon another.
If the Painter wishes to dissimulate a Tint of the Complexion—
547. As above, he must distinguish two cases:—
1st, When he sees the colours modified by juxtaposition only, when the tint may be lowered without leaving its scale:—
1. By a black drapery, which lowers it by contrast of tone. 2. By a drapery of the same scale as that of the tint, but of a much higher tone.
Such, perhaps, as a red drapery upon a rosy complexion; or, an orange drapery upon an orange-tinted complexion; or, the effect of a dark green drapery on a complexion of a green tint.
2nd, The tint may be lowered by making it leave its scale.
1. By a green drapery of very dark tone, upon an orange complexion. 2. By a blue drapery of a dark tone, upon a rosy complexion. 3. By a very dark yellow drapery, upon a very pale orange complexion.