View source for Puce

{{Short description|Color}}
{{About|the colour|the school PUCE|Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
<!-- This article started with and uses American English-->
{{Infobox color
|title=Puce
|hex=CC8899
|source=[[99colors.net]]<ref>[http://www.99colors.net/name/puce 99colors.net]</ref>
|isccname=Dark pink}}

'''Puce''' is a brownish purple colour. The term comes from the [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|couleur puce}}, literally meaning "[[flea]] colour".<ref name=oed>{{Cite OED|puce|3451789277}}</ref>

Puce became popular in the late 18th century in France. It appeared in clothing at the court of [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]]. The colour was said to be a favourite colour of [[Marie Antoinette]]; however, there are no portraits of her wearing it.<ref>{{Cite book|last=St. Clair|first=Kassia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0gUEDgAAQBAJ&q=puce+color&pg=PT98|title=The Secret Lives of Color|date=2017-10-24|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-1-5247-0494-0|language=en|archive-date=14 September 2024|access-date=7 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914005220/https://books.google.com/books?id=0gUEDgAAQBAJ&q=puce+color&pg=PT98|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Katy |last=Kelleher |date=2017-10-24 |title=The Sexy-Gross Story of Puce |url=https://www.theawl.com/2017/10/the-sexy-gross-story-of-puce/ |access-date=2020-09-04 |website=The Awl |language=en |archive-date=14 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914005220/https://www.theawl.com/2017/10/the-sexy-gross-story-of-puce/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Under The Moonlight |date=2020-07-14 |title=Puce Was Once The Height Of 18th Century French Fashion For A Second |url=https://underthemoonlight.ca/2020/07/14/puce-was-once-popular-in-16th-century-france/ |access-date=2020-09-04 |website=Under The Moonlight |language=en |archive-date=14 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914005222/https://underthemoonlight.ca/2020/07/14/puce-was-once-popular-in-16th-century-france/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Puce was also a popular fashion colour in 19th-century [[Paris]]. In his novel {{lang|fr|[[Nana (novel)|Nana]]}}, [[Émile Zola]] describes a woman "dressed in a dark gown of an equivocal colour, somewhere between puce and goose shit."<ref>{{cite book|quote={{lang|fr|Vêtue d'une robe sombre de couleur indécise, entre le puce et le caca d'oie.}}|last=Zola|first=Émile|title=Nana|date=1880|location=Paris|publisher=G. Charpentier|page=45|url=https://archive.org/details/nanazolae00zola/page/45}}</ref> In [[Victor Hugo]]'s {{lang|fr|[[Les Misérables]]}}, Mademoiselle Baptistine wears "a gown of puce-coloured silk, of the fashion of 1806, which she had purchased at that date in Paris, and which had lasted ever since."<ref>{{cite book|last=Hugo|first=Victor|translator-last1=Hapgood|translator-first1=Isabel F.|title=Les Misérables|date=1887|location=New York|publisher=Thomas Y. Crowell|page=67|url=https://archive.org/details/lesmisrables01unkngoog/page/n79}}</ref>

==Variations of puce==

===Puce (ISCC-NBS)===
{{infobox color
|title=Puce (ISCC-NBS)
|hex=722F37
|source=[[ISCC-NBS]]<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20121122220608/http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-p.htm ISCC-NBS]}}</ref>
|isccname=Dark red}}
The color to the right is the color called puce in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955). Since this color has a hue code of 353, it is a slightly purplish red.

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===Puce (Maerz and Paul)===
{{infobox color
|title=Puce (M&P)
|hex=A95C68
|source=Maerz and Paul
|isccname=Moderate red}}

The color box to the right shows the color called ''puce'' in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul, ''A Dictionary of Color'';<ref>{{cite book|author=Maerz and Paul |title=A Dictionary of Color |location=New York |year=1930 |publisher=McGraw-Hill}}</ref> the color ''puce'' is displayed on page 37, Plate 7, Color Sample H4.
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===Puce (Pourpre color list)===
{{Infobox Color
|title=Puce (Pourpre color list)
|hex=4E1609
|source=[[Pourpre.com]]<ref>[http://pourpre.com/chroma/dico.php?typ=teinte&ent=10 Pourpre.com]</ref>
|isccname=Deep brown}}
At right is the color called ''puce'' in the Pourpre.com color list, a color list widely popular in [[France]].
This is the original ''puce'', from which all other tones of puce ultimately derive.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}
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===Puce (Pantone)===
{{infobox color
 |title=Puce (Pantone)
 |hex=4F3A3C
 |source=[[Pantone TPX]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx |title=Pantone TPX |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150910082906/http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears.</ref>
 |isccname=Dark grayish reddish brown}}

The color at right is called ''puce'' in the [[Pantone]] color list.

The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #19-1518 TPX—Puce.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx |title=Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder--Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears: |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150910082906/http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
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==See also==

*[[List of colors]]

== References ==
{{reflist|33em}}

{{Shades of pink}}
{{Shades of red}}

[[Category:Shades of pink]]
[[Category:Shades of red]]
[[Category:Marie Antoinette]]
[[Category:History of fashion]]