Georgian Color Palette: Class and Color As Seen Through “Emma”
Today’s guest blogger is Rachel Perls, color expert and author Hue, a blog all about color. Take it away Rachel!
Many paint companies devote a section of their color wheels to different historic periods. The late eighteenth century Georgian period is becoming more than more popular. Colors from this era are surprisingly saturated. The interiors from the movie “Emma“, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, offers a crash course in Georgian colors and how class played a role.
But first a little background history to get us started.
Natural Pigments and Woodwork
Distemper paint was generally considered the cheapest paint option in the late 1700’s. It was ground from chalk, and mixed with glue made from animal bones. Then it was tinted with natural pigments, like yellow ochre, red oxide, or even ox blood (for a nice rusty-pink color).
Of course, after years of soot build-up on the walls from fires and cooking, the interior of a poor family might have looked something like the Clark’s cottage – a very humble abode consisting only of painted boards for walls.
Wealthy home owners, on the other hand, preferred to paint their walls and woodwork with oil-based paint, mixed with red or white lead and linseed oil. Most affluent homes had wood paneling from floor to ceiling, which were then painted cream or a mid-tone brown. Sometimes the wood work, including doors, baseboards, and shutters, were painted in darker browns or even black.  This was the norm until the middle of the 18th century, when everything changed dramatically.
In the movie, Emma and her father belong to the wealthy class. The overriding theme throughout their opulent estate is understated elegance, with pastels, muted tones, and ornate wallpaper.
Interiors Become Lighter
Around 1760, interiors started becoming lighter and lighter thanks to the use of plaster. Wainscoting and wood panels were replaced by plaster walls above the chair rail.  To protect this plaster surface, dados became all the rage.
You usually think of plaster as being bright white, but back in the Georgian period, plaster was a softer white with a yellow undertone due to the linseed oil and lead mixture. While basically anyone could tint their plaster with earth tones like yellow or brown, only the wealthy could afford the more decadent, costly colors.
Colors like blossom, straw, orange and lemon were popular, as well as cool colors like olive and light blue. Deep greens and cobalt blues were the most expensive pigments to acquire, and were limited to the very wealthy. This is because the pigments were created from natural flowers and roots. Nothing man-made here.
In Emma, many subtle clues about the status of a character come from the clarity and saturation of the colors used in their homes. Take for instance the Bates’ lower class cottage. The Bates live in genteel poverty, having once lived in a grand estate. They were forced out by a male heir indirectly related to them (a fate Austen often writes about).
Painted in dingy, cheap mustard with washed-out blue doors, it’s a humble space, and this comes through loud and clear. The hints at having once held a higher level in society come from the furnishings and the addition of a stencil for decoration.
Now, take the same gold theme, but bump up the saturation, and apply it to a wealthy interior. No cheap mustard paint here; instead, luxurious panels of gold fabric line the walls. Dramatically different results, right? Of course, the outrageous crystal chandeliers don’t hurt, either!
Another lovely golden hued wall in an upper class home.
By the late Georgian period, really strong colors were being used below the chair rail, all but eliminating raw wood paneling.
From terracotta to crimson, red dining rooms and libraries were all the rage, as people found it provided a striking backdrop to gold-framed artwork. No gallery white walls here!
Why, even pink made a nice foil for art.
Green Is Popular
But the big star of the Georgian period was green. It was found both inside and out, garden furniture and fences in particular.
Here we see a variation on the green theme in Mrs. Goddard’s home/school for girls – a distinctly middle class abode.
The Cole’s parlor, with its lime green drapes and aqua walls are quite a different look, don’t you agree?
Or their hallway, with green, teal, and purple.
During the Georgian period, the choice of color in interiors was determined by the class of homeowner, establishing them within the hierarchy of society. In the movie Emma, the Cole’s home is full of bright, saturated hues, sometimes leaning towards the garish. Perhaps eager to impress, the effects are obviously a bit over the top.
Striving to bring nature inside, greens were chosen to harmonize with surrounding gardens. Emma’s interiors are wallpapered with floral motifs, the epitome of elegance and style.
Other popular late Georgian colors included pea green, sky or Wedgwood blue, soft grey, dusky pink and a flat white or stone.
Interestingly, people began using paint to alter the mood and lighting conditions of a room. If a space got little sunlight, warm colors were used, whereas bright sunny spaces were toned down with cool colors.
Do you think color and class are still linked in our societies today? Does primarily one class or another within a particular group of people use certain hues? What about palettes – do you think our social status determines the range of colors we are drawn to?
P.S. For Emma buffs, here is a fun movie quiz.
Photos: Irish Interiors, Owlpen, All movie stills from instant-play film online.
One Response to “Georgian Color Palette: Class and Color As Seen Through “Emma””
Avatars are randomly assigned unless you get your own
I thought I’d pass on this book suggestion from reader, Cathryn. If you’re interested in Georgian history this book sounds terrific. It’s on my book list and I can’t wait to read it.
“Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your Georgian Colors post! I studied some of this era’s paint processes in college and have always found it fascinating. It also reminded me of something else you might enjoy like I did. Thought I’d share:
There is a fabulous book, Founding Mothers, by journalist Cokie Roberts that chronicles the life and work of some prominent ladies of the Federal era (basically the wives, mothers, daughters and neighbors of our “Founding Fathers”). All of the material is compiled from surviving documents and gives a great view of daily life. One of the accounts is of Eliza Pickeney, of what is now South Carolina. (Her two sons became signers of the Declaration of Independence.) Eliza, at age 16, was left by herself to run her family’s extensive Carolina plantation while her family tended to urgent matters at their Caribbean plantation. Not only did she run the plantation, but in her spare time (if there was such a thing), she developed a North American hybrid of the Indigo plant. It had never been able to grow well in the Western Hemisphere before her cross-breeding innovations. Indigo was very expensive at the time and in demand by all the wealthy European nations to dye their wool military uniforms. Eliza thought and planned this idea out as a new cash crop for her family.
The book gives much more detail and I thought you might enjoy her story. I think it is always nice to hear about early American women succeeding in business, too. I will warn you, the book is hard to put down once you start reading it, as is it’s sequel. And you will never think of Alexander Hamilton the same way after reading it!”
Best,
Cathryn O.