Near Borough Market, London, September 2015

Hex Colour reference:  C8385A

A colourful note: maroon is the term used for a dark brown-red , with the first recorded use of this as an English colour name in 1789.  The name comes from the French word marron (chestnut) and  the Italian marrone, which in turn come from the medieval Greek maraon.

This shade of red first appeared in Crayola boxes in 1949, labelled as dark red , with an official name change to maroon in 1958.  In that year, it also appeared in a glitter version, which survived until 1994.

The maroon colour has been associated with many places, people and objects.  On a scary note, the serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs novel, has eyes that are described as being “maroon” brown, and often appear with a red glow.  On a cheerier note, especially this season, it is the colour of the Edinburgh football team, Heart of Midlothian.  This comes from maroon being the traditional color associated with the historic County of Midlothian and the wider Lothian region in Scotland, chosen to symbolize the blood of the Heart of Midlothian.

Copyright Debbie Smyth, 26 February 2016