Mauve and purple are two similar shades that are often used interchangeably. But mauve has a distinct reddish-purple tone that sets it apart from true purple. So does mauve technically count as a shade of purple or is it its own distinct color? Let’s take a closer look.
The History of Mauve
The first synthetic dye for the color mauve was invented in 1856 by chemist William Henry Perkin. Perkin was attempting to synthesize quinine for the treatment of malaria. Instead, his experiments produced a new purple dye derived from coal tar that he named mauveine. Perkin patented this new dye and began mass-producing it under the name mauve.
The new color became wildly popular in Victorian England in the late 19th century. Prior to Perkin’s discovery, obtaining a purple shade required expensive natural dyes like the extract of the mollusk shellfish murex. Perkin made vibrant purple hues more accessible and affordable. Mauve dresses, hats, ribbons, and other garments came into fashion.
Queen Victoria herself wore mauve to her daughter’s wedding in 1858, cementing it as the most prestigious color of the era. The craze for mauve lasted for roughly a decade before fading by the 1870s. But Perkin’s serendipitous discovery left a lasting impact on the fashion and dye industries.
The Science Behind Mauve
To understand whether mauve qualifies as a type of purple, we need to examine the science behind how color is created.
The color we perceive an object to be is based on the wavelengths of visible light that are reflected back to our eyes. Our eyes contain cone cells that detect three bands of light:
| Cone Type | Light Wavelength Detected |
|---|---|
| S cones (blue) | Short wavelengths around 420-440 nm |
| M cones (green) | Medium wavelengths around 530–540 nm |
| L cones (red) | Long wavelengths around 560–580 nm |
Our brains combine and compare signals from these three cone types to differentiate between millions of possible colors.
The visible spectrum ranges from violet with the shortest wavelengths to red with the longest wavelengths. Purple is a secondary color made by combining blue and red light. Objects that absorb other wavelengths while reflecting back blue and red waves appear purple to our eyes.
True purple has a hue angle near 260-280° on the color wheel. Mauve, on the other hand, has a hue angle of 276-325°. This places mauve between true purple and pink. While mauve contains both blue and red like purple, it leans farther towards red wavelengths. This gives mauve its distinctive pinkish tone.
How Mauve Differs from Purple
So while mauve contains a mix of blue and red wavelengths like purple, the proportion is different. Here’s how mauve compares to purple:
| Color | Hue Angle | Red Wavelengths | Blue Wavelengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purple | 260-280° | Medium | High |
| Mauve | 276-325° | High | Medium |
As you can see, mauve has a higher ratio of red to blue compared to purple. This shift towards red moves it closer to pink on the color spectrum.
We can also compare RGB values to quantify the color difference:
| Color | RGB Values |
|---|---|
| Purple | Red: 128, Green: 0, Blue: 128 |
| Mauve | Red: 224, Green: 176, Blue: 255 |
Mauve has higher levels of red, making it lighter and pinker than true purple.
How to Distinguish Mauve from Purple
Because mauve and purple can look similar to the naked eye, here are some tips for telling them apart:
– Purple has a red-blue balance while mauve leans red-pink.
– Mauve appears lighter, softer, and more subdued than bold purple.
– Mauve has a low saturation compared to vivid purple.
– Under white light, mauve pulls more reddish while purple appears blue-toned.
– Mauve can be created by mixing white with purple to dilute it. Adding gray also mutes purple into a mauve shade.
– Mauve complements yellow well, while purple goes best with yellow-greens.
– Mauves work for antiqued or vintage color palettes in decor, while purple reads bolder and more contemporary.
– Lighter mauves can skew almost taupe. Darker mauves appear raspberry or wine-hued.
– Mauve pairs better with cream, peach, terra cotta, avocado, and butterscotch.
– Purple stands out against green, orange, turquoise, gold, and neutrals like black and gray.
So mauve is more muted, softer, lighter, and pinker than its purple cousin. Keeping these distinguishing factors in mind helps differentiate the two.
Is Mauve a Shade of Purple?
While similar, mauve and purple are distinct hues. Mauve is considered a tertiary color, meaning it’s created by mixing a primary and secondary shade. Specifically, mauve arises when pink (red + white) is blended with purple (red + blue).
Most color classification systems position mauve as its own unique tertiary color between purple and pink:
| Color Mix | Tertiary Color |
|---|---|
| Red + White | Pink |
| Pink + Purple | Mauve |
| Purple + White | Lavender |
So while mauve contains purple, it’s generally not categorized as a shade of purple. Rather, it’s viewed as its own distinct tertiary color with its own color name.
Conclusion
Mauve has a closer kinship to purple than any other color. But upon close inspection, mauve contains a higher proportion of red wavelengths compared to blue. This gives mauve a characteristic soft, pinkish quality that sets it apart from true purple. While mauve and purple are easy to confuse at first glance, mauve is lighter, more muted, and skews redder than its purple cousin. So mauve is best considered as its own unique tertiary color, not technically a shade of purple.
