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

Croquet Scene Color Palette & Paint Colors

Dark earthy browns sit with a pale gray-green, a faded blue and one brick red. The palette suits a den or a hallway where you want depth and a single cool note.

Quick answer

Paint the walls #C6C2A8 and use the blue #5E8992 on the main furniture or curtains. Keep the browns for wood and use the brick red #B04D3B for small accents.

Artist: Winslow Homer
Date: 1866
Movement: 19th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 53

Croquet Scene by Winslow Homer — Winslow Homer, *Croquet Scene*, 1866. 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.

Dark soil brown

#423628 · 39.1% · LRV 4

Olive umber

#625135 · 25.7% · LRV 9

Bark brown

#6A5A3A · 18.6% · LRV 11

Pale lichen

#C6C2A8 · 6.7% · LRV 53

Faded teal blue

#5E8992 · 6.5% · LRV 22

Brick red

#B04D3B · 3.4% · LRV 15

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.

Croquet Scene reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Dark soil brown is strongest — Dark soil brown

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

Detail of the painting where Bark brown is strongest — Bark brown

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

Detail of the painting where Faded teal blue is strongest — Faded teal blue

Detail of the painting where Brick red is strongest — Brick red

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
Dark soil brown `#423628`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6010-2 Deep Earth Similar	4	Small accents, art, accessories
Olive umber `#625135`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Very close Behr 700D-7 South Kingston Very close Valspar 6009-2 Harvest Brown Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	9	One bold piece
Bark brown `#6A5A3A`	Behr PPU7-01 Moss Stone Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Valspar 6008-2C Prairie Foliage Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	11	Wood and frames
Pale lichen `#C6C2A8`	Valspar 6006-3C Bayou Shade Very close Behr PPU9-19 Organic Field Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6163 Grassland Very close Farrow & Ball No. 234 Vert de Terre Close	53	Main walls
Faded teal blue `#5E8992`	Behr BNC-39 Peak Point Very close Valspar 5003-8B Ocean Voyage Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7612 Mountain Stream Close Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue Similar	22	Bed, sofa, curtains
Brick red `#B04D3B`	Behr M200-7 Rusty Gate Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6622 Hearty Orange Very close Valspar 2011-5 Crimson Glow Very close Farrow & Ball No. 212 Blazer Close	15	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 pale lichen 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#B7B8AC

North light cools the pale #C6C2A8 (LRV 53) and makes the blue #5E8992 look more gray.

South-facing room#D3CAAD

South light warms the pale wall color and makes the blue look cleaner and a little brighter.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B1A07D

Warm bulbs pull the blue toward green and make the browns look softer and richer.

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 Bark brown and the rug border takes Brick red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale lichen

Faded teal blue

Olive 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

Brown House Color Combinations for Interior Rooms Brown

More palettes like this

Autumn Woods George Inness, 1891–94

The Annunciation George Hitchcock, 1887

Winged Figure Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1889

FAQ

Are these browns too heavy for walls?

The darkest brown #423628 has an LRV of 4, so it suits furniture or built-ins better than walls.

What does the blue add?

The #5E8992 is the only cool color here, at LRV 22, so it gives the room contrast against the warm browns.

Is the pale wall color warm or cool?

#C6C2A8 has a warm yellow undertone, so it feels soft rather than stark next to the dark browns.

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.