19th-century painting · art-to-room palette

A City Park Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from A City Park by William Merritt Chase, with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Soft White on most walls, use Light Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Green to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Dusky Green works best in a single textile.

Artist: William Merritt Chase
Date: c. 1887
Movement: 19th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 74

A City Park by William Merritt Chase — William Merritt Chase, *A City Park*, c. 1887. The Art Institute of Chicago, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Light Yellow

#DAC296 · 40.1% · LRV 56

Deep Green

#4C693D · 19.3% · LRV 12

Soft White

#E1E0DC · 13.2% · LRV 75

Light Green

#96B667 · 12.9% · LRV 41

Soft Green

#899261 · 12.1% · LRV 27

Dusky Green

#A4BB44 · 2.4% · LRV 44

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

A City Park reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Light Yellow is strongest — Light Yellow

Detail of the painting where Deep Green is strongest — Deep Green

Detail of the painting where Soft White is strongest — Soft White

Detail of the painting where Light Green is strongest — Light Green

Detail of the painting where Soft Green is strongest — Soft Green

Detail of the painting where Dusky Green is strongest — Dusky Green

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Light Yellow `#DAC296`	Behr S300-3 Almond Cookie Very close Farrow & Ball No. 37 Hay Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9027 Pale Moss Very close Valspar 3007-8B Baked Scone Very close	56	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Green `#4C693D`	Valspar 6009-8 Lime Twist Very close Behr 430F-6 Inland Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6727 Houseplant Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	12	One bold piece
Soft White `#E1E0DC`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6000 Snowfall Near-identical Behr MQ3-23 Statuesque Near-identical Valspar 7001-18 Heirloom Pink Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 2011 Blackened Very close	75	Main walls
Light Green `#96B667`	Behr 410F-4 Mother Nature Very close Valspar 6006-8B Chopped Chive Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9032 Stay in Lime Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Similar	41	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Green `#899261`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6431 Leapfrog Near-identical Behr PPU10-03 Green Energy Very close Valspar 6004-6C Ivy Pasture Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Close	27	Small accents, art, accessories
Dusky Green `#A4BB44`	Valspar 6007-10C Limolicious Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6921 Electric Lime Close Behr 400B-7 Lemon Grass Close	44	One small textile

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How soft white looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#C9CBCD

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#E8E1D6

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C1B19B

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Dusky Green in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Soft White

Light Yellow

Deep Green

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

Rustic Exterior Paint Color Schemes from Four Paintings House exterior · Rustic

More palettes like this

Dorothea and Francesca Cecilia Beaux, 1898

Slender Woman with Vase Jozseph Rippl-Rónaï, 1894

Still Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c. Raphaelle Peale, 1822

FAQ

What colors are in A City Park?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Light Yellow (#DAC296, 40.1% of the canvas), Deep Green (#4C693D, 19.3% of the canvas), Soft White (#E1E0DC, 13.2% of the canvas), Light Green (#96B667, 12.9% of the canvas), Soft Green (#899261, 12.1% of the canvas), Dusky Green (#A4BB44, 2.4% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 74% of the light that hits it (LRV 74), so it keeps a small room bright. Keep the darkest colors to one piece of furniture or a textile.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Art Institute of Chicago releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.