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

A Friendly Warning Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from A Friendly Warning by Thomas Hicks, 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 Deep Linen for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Olive suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Linen works best in a single textile.

Artist: Thomas Hicks
Date: 1881–90
Movement: 19th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 75

A Friendly Warning by Thomas Hicks — Thomas Hicks, *A Friendly Warning*, 1881–90. 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.

Ink Umber

#413924 · 25.1% · LRV 4

Warm Linen

#757059 · 20.3% · LRV 16

Deep Olive

#5D5136 · 16.6% · LRV 9

Soft White

#DCE2DD · 15% · LRV 75

Soft Black

#0D1109 · 11.9% · LRV 1

Deep Linen

#A89A81 · 11.1% · LRV 33

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 Friendly Warning reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
Ink Umber `#413924`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Similar Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar	4	One bold piece
Warm Linen `#757059`	Behr BXC-05 Mudslide Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2851 Sage Green Light Very close Valspar 6006-4C City Arboretum Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	16	One small textile
Deep Olive `#5D5136`	Behr 700D-7 South Kingston Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6160 Best Bronze Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	9	Wood and frames
Soft White `#DCE2DD`	Valspar 7004-23 Pale Linen Very close Behr QE-41 Frostproof Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6476 Glimmer Very close Farrow & Ball No. 269 Cabbage White Close	75	Main walls
Soft Black `#0D1109`	Behr 770F-7 Beluga Nearest available	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Linen `#A89A81`	Valspar 3007-9C Wild Mushroom Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7544 Fenland Very close Behr UL190-19 Tatami Mat Very close Farrow & Ball No. 17 Light Gray Close	33	Bed, sofa, curtains

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#C5CCCE

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

South-facing room#E4E3D6

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)#BEB39B

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 Olive and the rug border takes Warm Linen in every combination.

Mood board

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

Soft White

Deep Linen

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

Grey and Blue Bedroom Walls Grey · Bedroom

Mediterranean Exterior Paint Color Schemes House exterior · Mediterranean

More palettes like this

Croquet Scene Winslow Homer, 1866

Afterglow George Inness, 1893

Alice William Merritt Chase, 1892

FAQ

What colors are in A Friendly Warning?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#413924, 25.1% of the canvas), Warm Linen (#757059, 20.3% of the canvas), Deep Olive (#5D5136, 16.6% of the canvas), Soft White (#DCE2DD, 15% of the canvas), Soft Black (#0D1109, 11.9% of the canvas), Deep Linen (#A89A81, 11.1% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 75% of the light that hits it (LRV 75), 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.