Comments on: Puce Redux http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2005/08/15/puce-redux/ writing, reading, eating, drinking, sport Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:26:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Pamela http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2005/08/15/puce-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-823 Pamela Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:54:00 +0000 http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=126#comment-823 Ngaio Marsh, who was writing at the same time as Heyer, albeit setting her books in her own present (1930s) has an old-fashioned character refer to someone as wearing 'a puce toque', and then has another character (an artist) correct him: not a toque, but a very nice 'purple beret' (Death in a White Tie). This suggests to me that in the '30s puce referred to a colour close to purple. Does this help? Ngaio Marsh, who was writing at the same time as Heyer, albeit setting her books in her own present (1930s) has an old-fashioned character refer to someone as wearing ‘a puce toque’, and then has another character (an artist) correct him: not a toque, but a very nice ‘purple beret’ (Death in a White Tie). This suggests to me that in the ’30s puce referred to a colour close to purple. Does this help?

]]> By: ron http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2005/08/15/puce-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-810 ron Mon, 22 Aug 2005 00:36:50 +0000 http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=126#comment-810 more puce stuff! found a website that talks about regency colours and tries to explain what they are for modern readers: "One of the more obscure colors used in Regency novels is puce. It's a color nearly always treated with disdain but what color was it, really? It might help to know that the word puce comes, as so many others, from the French. Puce is the French word for flea! Yes, the color is a brownish-purple or a purplish-pink, the color of the blood-sucking flea; coagulated blood in other words. It may seem astonishing to the modern reader that one of the most popular colors in 1805e. was just puce..." the swatch of colour they provide is much less the brownish-purple and more the a red-ish brown. the picture of a china cup they also give has a very red-pink-crimson design on it. it certainly isn't as chocolately-brown as the puce webite that justine linked. the site is worth a look as it also gives an explanation of pomona green and coquelicot :) link is: http://hibiscus-sinensis.com/regency/colors.htm more puce stuff! found a website that talks about regency colours and tries to explain what they are for modern readers:

“One of the more obscure colors used in Regency novels is puce. It’s a color nearly always treated with disdain but what color was it, really? It might help to know that the word puce comes, as so many others, from the French. Puce is the French word for flea! Yes, the color is a brownish-purple or a purplish-pink, the color of the blood-sucking flea; coagulated blood in other words. It may seem astonishing to the modern reader that one of the most popular colors in 1805e. was just puce…”

the swatch of colour they provide is much less the brownish-purple and more the a red-ish brown. the picture of a china cup they also give has a very red-pink-crimson design on it. it certainly isn’t as chocolately-brown as the puce webite that justine linked.

the site is worth a look as it also gives an explanation of pomona green and coquelicot :)

link is:

http://hibiscus-sinensis.com/regency/colors.htm

]]> By: Justine http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2005/08/15/puce-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-792 Justine Fri, 19 Aug 2005 13:03:48 +0000 http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=126#comment-792 Hmmm, I think I'm with Roger. While you've proven that the colour has changed by this century, I'm not convinced it had by the time Heyer writes about or in. So many of Heyer's fashion rules on colour seem wholly arbitrary. Freddie's sister in <i>Cotillion</i> is always being told she can't wear certain colours because she's a blonde that I think look perfectly lovely on blondes. So it wouldn't surprise that they had a strange hatred of puce. Most fashion rules make no sense. Why can't you wear white shoes after labour day? Hmmm, I think I’m with Roger. While you’ve proven that the colour has changed by this century, I’m not convinced it had by the time Heyer writes about or in. So many of Heyer’s fashion rules on colour seem wholly arbitrary. Freddie’s sister in Cotillion is always being told she can’t wear certain colours because she’s a blonde that I think look perfectly lovely on blondes. So it wouldn’t surprise that they had a strange hatred of puce. Most fashion rules make no sense. Why can’t you wear white shoes after labour day?

]]> By: ron http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2005/08/15/puce-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-791 ron Fri, 19 Aug 2005 04:46:26 +0000 http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=126#comment-791 no. the redoubtable miss heyer doesn't ever describe puce at all that i can remember - don't think she ever compared it to some other known quantity, like a particular flower or anything. but again, the flea blood/shit, brown-ey/purple-ey colour just doesn't seem to fit the context. whenever she has a male wearing it it is scorned as effete or effeminate - and surely this wouldn't apply to a shade of brown - ? as i said before, whenever it's mentioned as being worn by a woman it is usually referred to jokingly or negatively as if it was gaudy and not in the best of taste. worn by arrivistes or young girls who don't know better yet. again - why the fuss over a shade of brown. of course, maybe i've got the wrong end of the stick and the point was that it was flea blood/pooh coloured and that was considered downmarket - but that doesn't seem to fit the context. will endeavour to research thoroughly. no. the redoubtable miss heyer doesn’t ever describe puce at all that i can remember – don’t think she ever compared it to some other known quantity, like a particular flower or anything. but again, the flea blood/shit, brown-ey/purple-ey colour just doesn’t seem to fit the context. whenever she has a male wearing it it is scorned as effete or effeminate – and surely this wouldn’t apply to a shade of brown – ? as i said before, whenever it’s mentioned as being worn by a woman it is usually referred to jokingly or negatively as if it was gaudy and not in the best of taste. worn by arrivistes or young girls who don’t know better yet. again – why the fuss over a shade of brown.

of course, maybe i’ve got the wrong end of the stick and the point was that it was flea blood/pooh coloured and that was considered downmarket – but that doesn’t seem to fit the context.

will endeavour to research thoroughly.

]]> By: Roger http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2005/08/15/puce-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-775 Roger Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:37:54 +0000 http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=126#comment-775 Does the redoutable Miss Heyer ever detail what she means by puce? What I mean to say, Mr Serdiuk, is what is your evidence that the colour Heyer refers to is not the colour made to disguise flea's blood? Does the redoutable Miss Heyer ever detail what she means by puce? What I mean to say, Mr Serdiuk, is what is your evidence that the colour Heyer refers to is not the colour made to disguise flea’s blood?

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