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

Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood by School of William Matthew Prior, 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 Linen on most walls, use Warm Red for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Red to one bold piece. Shadow Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Ink Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: School of William Matthew Prior
Date: February 16, 1848
Movement: 19th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 78

Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood by School of William Matthew Prior — School of William Matthew Prior, *Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood*, February 16, 1848. 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.

Shadow Umber

#5A5047 · 33.4% · LRV 8

Deep Red

#872019 · 25.1% · LRV 6

Pale Linen

#EFE3C9 · 22.9% · LRV 78

Soft Black

#08130C · 10.4% · LRV 1

Ink Red

#5B2A1A · 4.1% · LRV 4

Warm Red

#A3604D · 4.1% · LRV 17

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.

Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Red is strongest — Warm 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
Shadow Umber `#5A5047`	Valspar 6010-1 Journey Near-identical Behr N180-7 Oiled Teak Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7055 Enduring Bronze Close Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Similar	8	Wood and frames
Deep Red `#872019`	Behr S-H-200 New Brick Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6335 Fired Brick Similar Valspar 1009-4 Cut Ruby Similar	6	One bold piece
Pale Linen `#EFE3C9`	Valspar 3007-6C Crafted White Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6392 Vital Yellow Near-identical Behr 710C-2 Raffia Cream Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 59 New White Very close	78	Main walls
Soft Black `#08130C`	Behr 770F-7 Beluga Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Ink Red `#5B2A1A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7593 Rustic Red Similar Behr 240F-7 Root Beer Similar Valspar 1010-5 Spanish Tile Similar	4	One small textile
Warm Red `#A3604D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 40 Roycroft Adobe Very close Behr BIC-45 Airbrushed Copper Very close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Close Valspar 2003-5A Tropical Nut Close	17	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 pale linen 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#D2CDC1

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

South-facing room#F3E4C7

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)#C9B390

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 Shadow Umber and the rug border takes Ink Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Linen

Warm Red

Deep Red

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood

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

Small Bathroom Paint Colors with No Windows Dark room · Bathroom

Color Schemes for a Basement Family Room Dark room · Living room

Classic Bedroom Colors Traditional style

More palettes like this

After a Summer Shower George Inness, 1894

Autumn Woods George Inness, 1891–94

On the Seine Homer Dodge Martin, c. 1895

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of Fred Adelbert Haywood?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Shadow Umber (#5A5047, 33.4% of the canvas), Deep Red (#872019, 25.1% of the canvas), Pale Linen (#EFE3C9, 22.9% of the canvas), Soft Black (#08130C, 10.4% of the canvas), Ink Red (#5B2A1A, 4.1% of the canvas), Warm Red (#A3604D, 4.1% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 78% of the light that hits it (LRV 78), 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.