Meaning Behind Ink Colors, Way Back When?

[ScottT]

I'm looking for any information on practices in history, where the color of the ink had a specific role. I know there was a reasoning behind colors of sealing wax (I think Townsends had something on it) but was wondering if everything had a reason, a specific importance.

 

Anything anyone has on a reason behind selection of inks, waxes, stationery and anything else in the delivered product would be greatly appreciated.

 

What message does the format deliver, aside from it being correspondence? Did one sheet, folded over, mean something different from (if they even had something similar back in the day) a correspondence card? Stuff like that.

 

Thanks!

[DilettanteG]

I read in an article somewhere by a former journalist (Terry Pratchett maybe?) that letters to the editors using green or purple ink are inevitably certifiably crazy. As someone who coordinates her ink with her stationery and quite likes green and purple, I found that a bit disturbing.

 

However, Miss Manners tackles this subject at length in her Writing Paper chapter:

 

Serious and business letters: Black (or blue?) ink on white paper, single sheet (or a double sheet for women.)

 

Frivolous letters: Grey or brown ink on cream paper.

 

Cards, Foldovers: Informal notes, thanks you notes, Hand written invitations for informal events.

 

Very Formal Invitations: Engraved black ink on white paper. I have one of these from the British embassy for a formal dinner. The engraved letter head was the Royal Coat of Arms, I think, engraved in gold.

 

Mourning: Black bordered sheets, black ink, envelope lining I think is also black. I assume the sealing wax is too.

 

Social Cards (personal equivalent of business cards): a lengthily section with precise measurements based on gender, age, and marital status.

 

I'm just going off memory, but I'll see if I can pull out the book. Crane's has a Stationery Book, too, but it's more commercial in tone. I think both were written back in the 80s and I'm not sure how applicable it is in these text/instagram/twitter etc. obsessed days.

[rickap]

Hi ScottT,

 

These threads may be helpful:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/202438-ink-color-rules-of-old/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/319680-ink-etiquette-international/

 

Enjoy!

[Maccabeus]

Hi ScottT,

 

These threads may be helpful:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/202438-ink-color-rules-of-old/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/319680-ink-etiquette-international/

 

Enjoy!

 

Ooh! Good find, Scott. Thanks a bunch!

[ScottT]

Hi ScottT,

 

These threads may be helpful:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/202438-ink-color-rules-of-old/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/319680-ink-etiquette-international/

 

Enjoy!

Very enjoyable reads, thank you!

[ScottT]

I read in an article somewhere by a former journalist (Terry Pratchett maybe?) that letters to the editors using green or purple ink are inevitably certifiably crazy. As someone who coordinates her ink with her stationery and quite likes green and purple, I found that a bit disturbing.

 

However, Miss Manners tackles this subject at length in her Writing Paper chapter:

 

Serious and business letters: Black (or blue?) ink on white paper, single sheet (or a double sheet for women.)

 

Frivolous letters: Grey or brown ink on cream paper.

 

Cards, Foldovers: Informal notes, thanks you notes, Hand written invitations for informal events.

 

Very Formal Invitations: Engraved black ink on white paper. I have one of these from the British embassy for a formal dinner. The engraved letter head was the Royal Coat of Arms, I think, engraved in gold.

 

Mourning: Black bordered sheets, black ink, envelope lining I think is also black. I assume the sealing wax is too.

 

Social Cards (personal equivalent of business cards): a lengthily section with precise measurements based on gender, age, and marital status.

 

I'm just going off memory, but I'll see if I can pull out the book. Crane's has a Stationery Book, too, but it's more commercial in tone. I think both were written back in the 80s and I'm not sure how applicable it is in these text/instagram/twitter etc. obsessed days.

I had wondered if I should consult etiquette books, obviously I should. Thanks for the info!

[Pickwick]

Any rules of this nature appears to be an affectation of the so called elite wishing themselves to be separated from the common herd!

Edited January 25, 2020 by Pickwick

[corniche]

Greetings all,

 

I have to laugh. This thread reminds me of the time I had to ask my teacher's permission to use blue ink instead of black. She'd probably have a stroke if she saw my signature today: Diamine Eau de Nil.

 

 

Sean

[Uncial]

The Ottoman court was strictly colour coded so that you were able to identify someone's role instantly - pale blue for clerics, bottle green for house staff, black for Greeks, etc, etc. I wonder if it went as far as ink colour for writing?

[sansenri]

"Any rules of this nature appears to be an affectation of the so called elite wishing themselves to be separated from the common herd!"

 

actually I think it's much more complicated than that, although there is some of that in it too.

Etiquette, tradition, education, culture, manners, religion, political status, and there is more.

Any rule of behaviour has ancient reasons, we don't need to approve them (times change) but it's fascinating to know.

[sansenri]

btw, this goes a bit beyond ink, but for example at the turn of the century 1800 to 1900 painters were looking at colours in a totally new way than before

"Kandinsky argued that artistic experiences were all about feeling, and different colors affected mood. Yellow could disturb, while blue might make people feel good. Kandinsky's thoughts on color were similar to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's belief that different colors can convey certain emotions. The warm colors - red, yellow, and orange - are usually considered lively colors that can sometimes be harsh. The cool colors - green, blue, and purple - are considered more peaceful and subdued. Kandinsky was especially fond of blue. He also discussed the neutrals, black, gray, and white. White is silence and quiet, and black is completely devoid of possibility. Gray can go either way."

Without knowing, we now think of colours in similar ways, and no doubt we were influenced by these new theories.

Etiquette has taken some blows from this.

[txomsy]

Here, specific letters had specific folding patterns, and you had to master them way back when. Each had its own reasoning, mainly to ease reading by the addressee.

 

As for colors, I think it goes back to the mists of time. And mainly they would also be for practical reasons. Black has always a ) easier to read and b ) easier to produce (either pure black or other colors close to black), so when used over a whitish/creamish surface, it would be preferred. For important things one would like an "important" color, something that would quickly draw attention, and red us unbeatable for that, so it became the preferred color for rubrics, capitals, headers, chapter titles, etc... Black and red is boring. Blue would also be commonly used to add a tad of color to important text. In time, even signing reverted to the safest, clearer, black color. If you look signatures of Kings from the last centuries, you'll find them in black, not in red. So it was not "protocol" or "distinction".

 

Other than that, I'd say, other interpretations would be derivatives: on your balance account, debts are more important because they have an impact on your life than surplus, so red numbers were typically set in... (ta-daaa!) red. And so on.

 

Getting other colors was, for a long time, very difficult and expensive for the common person, so most rules turned around these. Which is probably why using other colors would be seen as eccentric (with various degrees of eccentricity) depending on the nature of the correspondence.

 

I am often amused at how many people tend to consider our ancestors were more concerned with showing off and status than we are. When one goes down to the point, it turns out they were every bit as practical (if not often much, much, much more --their lives were a lot harder-- ) than we are.

Edited January 25, 2020 by txomsy

[corniche]

Actually I think it's much more complicated than that, although there is some of that in it too.

Etiquette, tradition, education, culture, manners, religion, political status, and there is more.

Any rule of behaviour has ancient reasons, we don't need to approve them (times change) but it's fascinating to know.

Yes.

[Bibliophage]

I still order 'Cartes de Visite' - calling cards. They weren't called 'social cards'. They were originally used to leave with a staff member of the house, who often couldn't read, to let the lord/lady of the house know who had stopped (called) by. Especially during the period from Georgian, Regency, and Victorian.

 

I use mine with a touch of humour. They have a non-business appropriate saying on them, my name, email address, and personal phone number. I give them out to people that need/want my information that aren't business related. Those I hand my business cards, which have my business number, address, and email.

 

Here's a quick and dirty link - https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/the-etiquette-of-using-calling-cards/

 

Roughly, they were the 'social media' of the Victorian era. People who were landed gentry usually spent part of the year 'in town' (London, but sometimes other cities), and the rest of the time on their estates. So, when they came into town, they'd go around to the homes of their acquaintances, and leave cards to inform that they were also in town, available for engagements. (or to announce an invited engagement, such as a dinner party). They were proof that you kept your word about stopping by, in a time that had no telephones, no automobiles, and people weren't usually in quite a hurry.

 

Merchants would use them as well, for similar reasons.

[corniche]

I still order 'Cartes de Visite' - calling cards. They weren't called 'social cards'. They were originally used to leave with a staff member of the house, who often couldn't read, to let the lord/lady of the house know who had stopped (called) by. Especially during the period from Georgian, Regency, and Victorian.

 

I use mine with a touch of humour. They have a non-business appropriate saying on them, my name, email address, and personal phone number. I give them out to people that need/want my information that aren't business related. Those I hand my business cards, which have my business number, address, and email.

 

Here's a quick and dirty link - https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/the-etiquette-of-using-calling-cards/

 

Roughly, they were the 'social media' of the Victorian era. People who were landed gentry usually spent part of the year 'in town' (London, but sometimes other cities), and the rest of the time on their estates. So, when they came into town, they'd go around to the homes of their acquaintances, and leave cards to inform that they were also in town, available for engagements. (or to announce an invited engagement, such as a dinner party). They were proof that you kept your word about stopping by, in a time that had no telephones, no automobiles, and people weren't usually in quite a hurry.

 

Merchants would use them as well, for similar reasons.

My father, a staunch anglophile, kept a silver tray on the entry table in our foyer for such cards.

 

 

Sean

[Bibliophage]

My father, a staunch anglophile, kept a silver tray on the entry table in our foyer for such cards.

 

 

Sean

Now THAT'S being an optimist! (50+ years after they'd mostly stopped being used)

[Pickwick]

I still order 'Cartes de Visite' - calling cards. They weren't called 'social cards'. They were originally used to leave with a staff member of the house, who often couldn't read, to let the lord/lady of the house know who had stopped (called) by. Especially during the period from Georgian, Regency, and Victorian.

 

I use mine with a touch of humour. They have a non-business appropriate saying on them, my name, email address, and personal phone number. I give them out to people that need/want my information that aren't business related. Those I hand my business cards, which have my business number, address, and email.

 

Here's a quick and dirty link - https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/the-etiquette-of-using-calling-cards/

 

Roughly, they were the 'social media' of the Victorian era. People who were landed gentry usually spent part of the year 'in town' (London, but sometimes other cities), and the rest of the time on their estates. So, when they came into town, they'd go around to the homes of their acquaintances, and leave cards to inform that they were also in town, available for engagements. (or to announce an invited engagement, such as a dinner party). They were proof that you kept your word about stopping by, in a time that had no telephones, no automobiles, and people weren't usually in quite a hurry.

 

Merchants would use them as well, for similar reasons.

Just one correction, servants in households of the period you mention were required to have a basic education and be literate. My Grandmother was employed as a servant aged 14 in 1900 at Windsor Castle, the home of the royal family when she left school. She started work there on the lowest rung of the proverbial ladder. It was usually Butlers who received visiting cards or invitations at the door.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Pickwick

[corniche]

Now THAT'S being an optimist! (50+ years after they'd mostly stopped being used)

🤣

 

I know. A few salesmen got it, but nobody else did. But my dad and I both carried calling cards, (like yourself), through the mid-'90s.

[DilettanteG]

I had wondered if I should consult etiquette books, obviously I should. Thanks for the info!

 

I highly recommend Miss Manners Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior by Judith Martin. My edition is from 1991, but there are several printings, starting in 1979. She's written loads of books on the subject of etiquette, but I think the earlier ones are the most charming, self depreciating, and full of wit. It's a surprisingly entertaining read.

 

 

She also has a fun section on turning the card (she doesn't use the term calling card.) Folding each corner indicates a different message:

 

 

Visite: You have appeared with the card in person. Turn the upper left corner.

 

Felicitation: You congratulate the recipient. Turn the upper right corner.

 

Conge: Announces you are leaving town. Turn the lower left corner.

 

Condolence: Expresses your sympathy to the recipient. Turn the lower right corner.

 

 

There should be some accents in these french terms, but I always forget how to type them.

 

You can also get funny by turning both bottom corners for, "Too bad I'm leaving you," or both right corners for, "Congratulations on your loss."

 

It makes me want to rush out and order engraved cards and then I realize no one will ever understand why I've gone all origami on my stationery.

[DilettanteG]

Hi ScottT,

 

These threads may be helpful:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/202438-ink-color-rules-of-old/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/319680-ink-etiquette-international/

 

Enjoy!

 

Those were fascinating reads, especially the second one. Though it makes me said to think the Third Reich ruined brown ink by association for an entire country. Stupid Nazis.