Crimson is a deep red color tinged with blue; however the name is also used for red colors in general. although more often a deep red color. Traditionally, it is the color of blood.

Dyes

Alizarin crimson is a pigment that was first synthesized in 1868 by the German chemists Carl Gräbe and Carl Lieberman and replaced the natural pigment madder lake. Alizarin Crimson is a dye bonded onto alum which is then used as a pigment. It is not totally colorfast, when mixed with ochre, sienna and umber.

Crimson, or Crimson Lake, or Carmine is sometimes the names given to the dye made from the dried bodies of the female cochineals although it is more common to call the pigment "cochineal" after the insect from which it is made. It appears to have been discovered during the conquest of Mexico by Spaniard Hernán Cortés and brought to Europe in early 1500s. Carmine was first described by Mathioli in 1549.

Carmine is an aluminium and calcium salt of carminic acid and carmine lake is an aluminium or aluminum-tin lake of cochineal extract, whereas 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.

Uses

This dye was once widely prized in both the Americas and in Europe. It was used in paints by Michelangelo and on the fabrics of the Hussars, the Turks, the British Redcoats, and the Canadian Mounted Police.

Nowadays carmine dyes are used for coloring foodstuffs, medicines and cosmetics, also in some oil paints and watercolors used by artists.

Crimson is the school color of Harvard University, and the daily newspaper at Harvard is called The Harvard Crimson. The university's athletic teams are likewise called the Crimson.

See also

• List of colors