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

Elaine Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is built from deep olive blacks, dusky sage, warm khaki, ochre brown, and one soft cream. It suits rooms that want a grounded, earthy feel with a clear light note.

Quick answer

Use the warm cream (LRV 95) on the walls and the khaki stone (LRV 29) on large upholstery or cabinetry. Put the ochre brown on wood, the dark olive charcoal on textiles, and the near-black olive on a door or trim as the accent.

Artist: Toby Edward Rosenthal
Date: 1874
Movement: 19th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 95

Elaine by Toby Edward Rosenthal — Toby Edward Rosenthal, *Elaine*, 1874. 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.

Deep olive black

#1B1D17 · 47% · LRV 1

Dusky sage slate

#5A5E55 · 21.5% · LRV 11

Dark olive charcoal

#303224 · 13.5% · LRV 3

Warm khaki stone

#98937A · 12.7% · LRV 29

Deep ochre brown

#82714C · 4.2% · LRV 17

Warm cream white

#FFFAE2 · 1.2% · LRV 95

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.

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

Detail of the painting where Deep olive black is strongest — Deep olive black

Detail of the painting where Dusky sage slate is strongest — Dusky sage slate

Detail of the painting where Dark olive charcoal is strongest — Dark olive charcoal

Detail of the painting where Warm khaki stone is strongest — Warm khaki stone

Detail of the painting where Deep ochre brown is strongest — Deep ochre brown

Detail of the painting where Warm cream white is strongest — Warm cream white

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
Deep olive black `#1B1D17`	Behr 770F-7 Beluga Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar	1	One bold piece
Dusky sage slate `#5A5E55`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6208 Pewter Green Very close Behr PPU10-20 Pastoral Very close Valspar 5005-4C Belmont Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 26 Down Pipe Close	11	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark olive charcoal `#303224`	Behr S-H-780 Thorny Branch Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6216 Jasper Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar	3	One small textile
Warm khaki stone `#98937A`	Valspar 5008-2A Sweet Carolina Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7748 Green Earth Very close Behr MQ6-26 Milk Thistle Close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Close	29	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep ochre brown `#82714C`	Behr 290F-6 Warm Earth Very close Valspar 6008-4C Valencia Moss Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6412 Eminent Bronze Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	17	Wood and frames
Warm cream white `#FFFAE2`	Behr 360A-1 Social Butterfly Near-identical Valspar 7003-22 Gilded Endive Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6420 Queen Anne's Lace Close Farrow & Ball No. 2002 White Tie Close	95	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 warm cream 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#DCDCD1

In north light the cream wall will look softer and a little greyer. Keep the khaki and ochre nearby to add warmth.

South-facing room#FFF6DA

Strong south light brings out the yellow in the cream and makes it feel bright and open. The deeper olive and sage tones will look richer and more defined.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#D2C09F

Under warm evening bulbs the cream takes on a golden tone and the khaki looks cozy. The dark olive and near-black will read as deep, quiet anchors in the room.

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 ochre brown and the rug border takes Dark olive charcoal in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm cream white

Warm khaki stone

Deep olive black

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

Dark Grey Siding: Four Exterior Schemes From Paintings House exterior · Dark grey

More palettes like this

Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth Martin Johnson Heade, 1885–95

Mrs. George Swinton (Elizabeth Ebsworth) John Singer Sargent, 1897

Seventeenth-Century Interior Charles Gifford Dyer, 1877

FAQ

Can I paint a whole room in the near-black olive?

The near-black olive has an LRV of 1, so it absorbs most of the light that hits it. It works best as an accent on a single door, cabinet, or trim. A full room in this color can feel closed in, especially a small one.

Which color should I use in a small or dim room?

Use the warm cream white on the walls. Its LRV of 95 reflects a lot of light and helps a small room feel more open. Add the khaki stone in textiles to keep the room from feeling flat.

Do I need to match these colors exactly?

Treat the hex values as a starting point, since screens and printers show color differently. Test a few swatches on your wall and check them in morning, midday, and evening light before you commit.

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.