Sepia (color)

Sepia is a dark brown-grey color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish.

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The word sepia is Greek for "cuttlefish".

Sepia in human culture

Art

• In the last quarter of the 18th century, Professor Jacob Seydelmann of Dresden developed a process to extract and produce a more concentrated form for use in watercolors and oil paints.

Ethnography

• It has been suggested that the actual skin color of most black people would be most accurately represented by the color sepia.

Magazines

• There is a magazine for African-Americans called Sepia, which was started in 1947.

Manuscripts

• Sepia ink was commonly used as writing ink in classical times.

Photography

• Sepia tones are used in photography; the hue resembles the effect of aging in old photographs and photographs chemically treated for archival purposes, an effect sometimes created by purpose. Many digital cameras include a sepia tone effect as well.

See also

• Sepia tone
• List of colors