CRIMSON

'Crimson ' is a strong, bright, deep red color combined with some blue, resulting in a tiny degree of purple. It is originally the color of the dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now also used for slightly bluish-red colors in general that are between red and rose.

Contents

History

Etymology

Dyes

Crimson in human culture

References

See also

References

History

'Crimson' was produced using the dried bodies of the kermes insect, which were gathered commercially in Mediterranean countries, where they live on the Kermes oak, and sold throughout Europe. Kermes dyes have been found in burial wrappings in Anglo-Scandinavian York. They fell out of use with the introduction of cochineal, because although the dyes were comparable in quality and color intensity it needed ten to twelve times as much kermes to produce the same effect as cochineal.
'Carmine' is the name given to the dye made from the dried bodies of the female cochineal, although the name 'crimson' is sometimes applied to these dyes too. Cochineal appears to have been discovered during the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniard Hernán Cortés, and the name 'carmine' is derived from the Spanish word for crimson. It was first described by Mathioli in 1549. The pigment is also called 'cochineal' after the insect from which it is made.
'Alizarin crimson' is a pigment that was first synthesized in 1868 by the German chemists Carl Gräbe and Carl Liebermann and replaced the natural pigment madder lake. Alizarin crimson is a dye bonded onto alum which is then used as a pigment and mixed with ochre, sienna and umber. It is not totally colorfast.

Etymology

The word ''crimson'' has been recorded in English since 1400^[1] , and its earlier forms include ''cremesin'', ''crymysyn'' and ''cramoysin'' (cf. cramoisy, a crimson cloth). These were adapted via Old Spanish from the Medieval Latin ''cremesinus'' (also ''kermesinus'' or ''carmesinus''), the dye produced from Kermes scale insects, and can be traced back to the Arabic and Persian قرمز, ''qirmiz'' (cognate with Latin ''vermis'' and English ''worm''), which in turn stems from the Sanskrit ''krmi-ja'', a compound meaning "produced by a worm" from ''krmih'' "worm" + -''ja'' "produced" (from the Proto-Indo-European
★ ''gene''-).
A shortened form of ''carmesinus'' also gave the Latin ''carminus'', from which comes carmine.
Other cognates include the Old Church Slavic ''čruminu'' and the Russian ''čermnyj'' "red". Cf. also vermilion.

Dyes

Main articles: Kermes (dye)


Carmine dyes, which give crimson and related red and purple colors, are based on an aluminium and calcium salt of carminic acid. 'Carmine lake' is an aluminium or aluminium-tin lake of cochineal extract, and 'Crimson lake' is prepared by striking down an infusion of cochineal with a 5 percent solution of alum and cream of tartar. 'Purple lake' is prepared like carmine lake with the addition of lime to produce the deep purple tone. Carmine dyes tend to fade fast.
Carmine dyes were once widely prized in both the Americas and in Europe. They were used in paints by Michelangelo and for the crimson fabrics of the Hussars, the Turks, the British Redcoats, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nowadays carmine dyes are used for coloring foodstuffs, medicines and cosmetics. As a food additive, carmine dyes are designated E120, and are also called 'cochineal' and 'Natural Red 4'. Carmine dyes are also used in some oil paints and watercolors used by artists.

Crimson in human culture

'Emblem colors'

★ Crimson is the color of Kingdom of Castile.

★ The international non-profit Greek letter organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (ΔΣΘ), Incorporated, uses crimson and cream as its official colors.

★ In the United States Army, crimson is the color of the Ordnance Corps.

★ Crimson is the school color of several universities, including Harvard University, Indiana University, New Mexico State University, Saint Joseph's University, University of Alabama, University of Oklahoma, University of Utah, Washington State University, Korea University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The daily newspaper at Harvard is called The Harvard Crimson, and the daily newspaper at Alabama is called The Crimson White. Harvard's athletic teams are the Crimson, while the University of Alabama competes as The Crimson Tide. The University of Kansas uses crimson paired with a deep blue to create its traditional colors.

★ Morristown-Beard School in New Jersey, a prep school founded by Harvard graduates, has Crimson as its team names. Maple Grove Senior High School in Maple Grove, Minnesota is called the 'Maple Grove Crimson' and the high school's colors are crimson and gold. duPont Manual High School adopted the Crimson in 1892 and the football team is known as the Manual Crimsons. The teams of Juneau-Douglas High School in Juneau, Alaska are known as the 'Crimson Bears' and their colors are crimson and black.
'Literature'

★ In fiction, the primary villain of Stephen King's ''Dark Tower'' series is the Crimson King. The Crimson King also makes appearances in other King works, such as the novel ''Insomnia''. Bev Vincent notes in his ''The Road to the Dark Tower'' that the color is intended to symbolize sickness, madness, and pain.

★ In the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes, Calvin's alter ego 'Stupendous Man' wears a crimson outfit.

★ In the Dutch comic strip Suske en Wiske (Spike and Suzy) the name of the bad guy is Krimson
'Music'

★ King Crimson has been a popular rock group since the debut in 1969 of their first album, ''In the Court of the Crimson King''.

★ In Donovan's song, "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," from the album A gift from a flower to a garden, Donovan sings about many different colors including crimson ("crimson ball sinks from view") and Alizarin crimson ("Colour sky havana lake / Colour sky rose carmethene / Alizarin crimson"). View song lyrics

★ Crimson is the title of an album by the Swedish death metal band Edge of Sanity. They also made a follow-up to that album, entitled Crimson II.

★ Crimson is the title of an Alkaline Trio album.

★ Crimson Thunder the 2002 album of Swedish power metal band Hammerfall.

★ In Bob Dylan's song My Back Pages from the album Another Side of Bob Dylan, Dylan starts his verse with "Crimson flames tied through my ears/Rollin' high and mighty traps/Pounced with fire on flaming roads/Using ideas as my maps"

★ Mark Knopfler's fifth solo album, to be released early September of 2007, is entitled ''Kill to Get Crimson'', though the significance of the title is not yet known.

★ Crimson and Clover is a song and album by Tommy James and the Shondells.
'Computer & Video Games'

★ In the arcade game The King Of Fighters, one of the main characters is called Ash Crimson owing to his red outfit and his personality.

★ In the computer game ''Diablo'' using an eldritch shrine will give you the message "''Crimson'' and Azure becomes as the sun", referring to its magical effect; turning all health (red) and mana (blue) potions into rejuvenation (yellow) potions.

★ Crimson is a name given to Rosso in '' for her red outfit and bloodthirsty nature.

★ In the XBOX game Otogi, a main enemy is named the Crimson King. He reappears in the sequel Otogi 2 as a secret boss.
'Other references'

★ In English, crimson is traditionally associated with the color of blood, and hence is associated with violence, courage and martyrdom. It was the most distinctive color of British officers' uniforms until the introduction of khaki camouflage, and remains in use for the colours (flag). The King's Royal Hussars still wear crimson trousers. However, the haemoglobin red is darker and has a lower chroma, and the haemoglobin molecule is structurally unrelated.

★ In Polish, ''karmazyn'' ('crimson') is also a synonym for a Magnate, i.e., a member of the nobility.

★ On the public television show The Joy of Painting, Bob Ross usually has alizarin crimson as a color on his palette.

References

1. The first recorded use of ''crimson'' as a color name in English was in 1400 according to the following book: Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930--McGraw Hill Page 193; Color Sample of Crimson: Page 31 Plate 4 Color Sample K6

See also

★ Red dye insects: cochineal, ''Kermes vermilio'', Polish cochineal

★ List of colors

★ Scarlet

★ Red

★ Amaranth

★ Rose

References

(incomplete)

★

★ Etymology OnLine