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

Self-Portrait Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Self-Portrait by George Peter Alexander Healy, 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 Pale Yellow on most walls, use Light Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: George Peter Alexander Healy
Date: 1873
Movement: 19th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 74

Self-Portrait by George Peter Alexander Healy — George Peter Alexander Healy, *Self-Portrait*, 1873. 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.

Soft Black

#1C1A18 · 65.3% · LRV 1

Ink Umber

#3A2920 · 22.4% · LRV 3

Deep Umber

#715B35 · 6.8% · LRV 11

Warm Yellow

#B37F51 · 2.1% · LRV 25

Light Yellow

#E6A66E · 1.9% · LRV 45

Pale Yellow

#FFDA96 · 1.5% · LRV 74

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.

Self-Portrait reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

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

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

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

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

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
Soft Black `#1C1A18`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Ink Umber `#3A2920`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Close Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Similar Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	3	One bold piece
Deep Umber `#715B35`	Behr PPU7-02 Tree Swing Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Valspar 3006-9A Grecian Helmet Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	11	Wood and frames
Warm Yellow `#B37F51`	Valspar 3009-7 Caramel Toffee Very close Behr UL160-2 Gold Plated Close Sherwin-Williams SW 2817 Rookwood Amber Close	25	One small textile
Light Yellow `#E6A66E`	Valspar 3001-5B Brioche Near-identical Behr M240-5 Squash Bisque Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9011 Sun Bleached Ochre Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	45	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Yellow `#FFDA96`	Behr P250-3 Marsh Marigold Very close Valspar 3001-2B Toasted Wheat Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2865 Classical Yellow Very close Farrow & Ball No. 218 Yellow Ground Close	74	Main walls

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 pale yellow 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#DCC8A0

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

South-facing room#FFDD9F

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)#D2AE73

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 Deep Umber and the rug border takes Warm Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Light Yellow

Ink Umber

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

Contemporary Living Room Color Schemes Modern style

More palettes like this

Landscape, Sunset George Inness, 1887–89

A Marine George Inness, c. 1874–75

On the Seine Homer Dodge Martin, c. 1895

FAQ

What colors are in Self-Portrait?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#1C1A18, 65.3% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#3A2920, 22.4% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#715B35, 6.8% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#B37F51, 2.1% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#E6A66E, 1.9% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#FFDA96, 1.5% 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.