• Home
  • Audio/Podcasts
  • Austensites
  • AV/E-Texts
  • History
  • Links
  • Novels
  • Original Sources/19th C. Texts
  • Social Customs During the Regency
  • Teacher/Student
  • Writer/Literature Resources

Jane Austen's World

This Jane Austen blog brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details related to this topic.

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Appointment With Death, a Hercule Poirot Mystery
Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd: A Review »

Invisible Green: A Favorite Colour for Georgian Landscape Buildings and Garden Fences

July 26, 2010 by Vic

Inquiring reader: This is the second post by historical paint expert Patrick Baty of Papers and Paints, who has carried out extensive research into the use of pigments in architectural and decorative paintings. He has kindly answered a question about the paint color “invisible green,” which was left on his previous post, Painting a House During the Regency Era.

Invisible Green was a favourite of Humphrey Repton, the famous landscape designer of the Georgian/Regency eras. (The image above shows his trellises painted in a dark, rich green.)

William Mason, in his poem “The English Garden” published in 1783, provides us with a very early reference to the Picturesque treatment of fences and to the colour that became know as “Invisible Green”. He describes in verse the preparation of a dark green oil paint based on yellow ochre and black with white lead. Great care was required in mixing the right colour:

‘Tis thine alone to seek what shadowy hues
Tinging thy fence may lose it in the lawn…”

and he concludes by saying:

the paint is spread, the barrier pales retire,
snatched as by magic from the gazer’s view”.

Patrick Baty, Green Schemes, Garden Door, Scottish Estate

In 1808, James Crease, the Bath colourman, described “Invisible Green” as a dark green:

so denominated from its being proper for covering gates and rails in parks, pleasure grounds, etc. by rendering them in a measure invisible at a distance on account of its approximation to the hue of the vegetation”.

In 1829, T.H. Vanherman, the London colourman, described Invisible Green as follows:

“The Invisible Green is one of the most pleasant colours for fences, and all work connected with buildings, gardens, or pleasure grounds, as it displays a richness and solidity, and also harmonizes with every object, and is a back-ground and foil to the foliage of fields, trees, and plants, as also to flowers.”

One of my early projects was at Uppark, where the young Emma Hamilton is alleged to have danced naked on the dining room table.  The wonderful Lucy Inglis has written very well in her blog Georgian London about the concept of prostitution in the eighteenth century in Frances Barton – Alimony and Acting: The Life of Nosegay Fan.

More information on this topic:

  • Finishes for 18th century and early 19th century fences
  • The Diary Maid and the Master of Uppark
  • Painting a House During the Regency Era: Q&A With Colourman Patrick Baty

Second image by Sir Humprhy Repton of a garden building for the Royal Pavillion at Brighton. The design was not used.

Share with others:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in jane austen, Regency gardens, Regency Life, Regency style | Tagged Humphry Repton, Papers and Paints, Patrick Baty, Regency landscape, Regency landscape design, Regency paint colors | 8 Comments

8 Responses

  1. on July 26, 2010 at 19:07 Karen

    I was totally puzzled as to what that last paragraph had to do with the content of today’s post. And I was confused by the picture with the muliple layers of shades of green. Were they meant to be all the shades involved increating invisible green or was invisible green created by using stripes of differing hues? What I thought I understood was that certain paint colors were mixed together to come up with a color known as invisible green. Am I correct?


    • on August 1, 2010 at 01:10 Vic

      Hi Karen,

      Patrick included the last paragraph in his answer about invisible green, which on the surface does not seem like it fits the post. Humphry Repton worked at Uppark, so the comment made sense to me, since Patrick referenced him. Uppark is associated with Lady Hamilton, who was a fancy prostitute at the time that she danced on Sir Harry’s table, hence the reference to Georgian London, a most amazing historical blog, and Lucy Inglis’s description of Frances Barton.

      The layered green image (from Patrick’s paper) is beautiful. I included it because Patrick studies the various layers of paints that are applied on old walls and surfaces. One of those layers, I noticed, was a dark green like invisible green. I chose the images; Patrick Baty did not. It had not occurred to me before why “invisible green” had its name, until I saw a fence painted that color. It seemed to disappear into the landscape.


  2. on July 27, 2010 at 11:42 Else

    Makes one want to consider painting a fence green instead of white! Most interesting post. Thank you!


  3. on July 27, 2010 at 16:39 susan Holloway Scott

    White vs. Green: the difference between whether the hand of man declares itself in the garden, or recedes gracefully behind nature. Love it. And any link to the wonderful “Georgian London” is fine by me. :)


  4. on July 30, 2010 at 21:21 Funny accidents, Funny pranks

    "Funny Pranks" Invisible Rope Prank…

    I found your blog post quite interesting so I’ve added a Trackback to it on my blog :). Thanks…


  5. on July 31, 2010 at 22:28 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    I am a great fan of invisible green and have often wondered why it is not employed more. Vic, you constantly amaze me with the comprehensiveness of your blog!


  6. on August 9, 2010 at 09:54 garden design sydney

    We are starting a raised vegetable garden over lawn I would like to know how to go about it, I am using treated pine sleepers for the beds do I have to dig up the lawn, or can I just build the garden over the top of it, garden beds will be approximately 400mm high. What sort of soil should I fill the vegetable beds with? Would appreciate you help.


  7. on March 18, 2011 at 00:40 Carlton House, by Patrick Baty « Jane Austen's World

    […] Invisible Green: A Farvorite Colour for Georgian Landscape Buildings and Garden Fences […]



Comments are closed.

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 6,691 other followers

  • Follow Jane Austen's World on WordPress.com
  • Blog Stats

    • 14,692,078 hits
  • Editing Constancy: A Jane Austen Story

    Book cover of Editing Constancy

    Click on this link to read an excerpt of Gerard Charles Wilson’s most recent book. You can download the Kindle version of the book from Amazon.com

  • The Obituary of Charlotte Collins by Andrew Capes

    Click on image to read the story.

  • Comments

    “My idea of good company…is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.” – Jane Austen, Persuasion

     

    Gentle readers: Please feel free to post your comments and continue the conversation!

    Regretfully, due to SPAMMERS, we will no longer accept comments on posts that were published over 30 days ago. In some instances, links will be removed from comments as well.

  • Administrators and Contributors

    Vic Sanborn, founder of this blog, is supported by a team of talented and knowledgeable writers about Jane Austen and the Regency era. They are:

    • Tony Grant,
    • Brenda Cox, and
    • Rachel Dodge.

    Click on their names to enter their own blogs.

    In addition, we thank the many experts and authors who frequently contribute their posts and opinions, and who continue to do so freely or at our request.

  • The Anne of Green Gables Devotional by Rachel Dodge, one of this blog’s writers!

    Find a book  description and order information on Rachel Dodge’s website. Click on this link.

    Find a review of the book by Brenda Cox, another JAW author, on her website. Click on this link.

  • Podcast Reviews: First Impressions-Why All the Austen Haters Are Wrong

    Image of Victorian woman listening to a podcast with earphonesIn this podcast series First Impressions (59 episodes so far), hosts Kristin and Maggie hilariously discuss the brilliance of Jane Austen and how her novels give us unparalleled insight into our own lives and characters. There’s no shame in loving (and obsessively re-reading) Austen’s novels, which are just as fresh and relevant as they were 200 years ago. Kristin and Maggie are here to give a big [lady] finger to any haters who say otherwise!

    Click here to enter the site.

  • Pin It!

    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • Top Posts

    • Social Customs During the Regency
      Social Customs During the Regency
    • Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey
      Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey
    • Awkward! The Regency Court Gown: Regency Fashion
      Awkward! The Regency Court Gown: Regency Fashion
    • Men's hair styles at the turn of the 19th century
      Men's hair styles at the turn of the 19th century
    • Regency Fashion: Men's Breeches, Pantaloons, and Trousers
      Regency Fashion: Men's Breeches, Pantaloons, and Trousers
    • You can watch Persuasion 2007 online
      You can watch Persuasion 2007 online
    • Regency Hygiene: The Bourdaloue
      Regency Hygiene: The Bourdaloue
    • Ladies Underdrawers in Regency Times: Regency Underwear
      Ladies Underdrawers in Regency Times: Regency Underwear
    • Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband
      Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband
    • The heaving Regency bosom, or was it? Some facts laid bare.
      The heaving Regency bosom, or was it? Some facts laid bare.
  • Recent Posts

    • New Beginnings at Chawton Cottage
    • A Day in Catherine Morland’s Bath
    • The Contents of a Lady’s Reticule: Part 2
    • The Contents of a Lady’s Reticule: Part 1
    • Merry Christmas to All: A Jane Austen Christmas
  • Bookmark

    Add to DeliciousAdd to DiggAdd to FaceBookAdd to Google BookmarkAdd to MySpaceAdd to NewsvineAdd to RedditAdd to StumbleUponAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Twitter
  • Links to Jane Austen Blogs

    Click here to enter the page. Topics include Regency fashion, historic foods, Jane Austen societies, British sites, related topics. Click on image.

  • Find Jane Austen on Google

  • This blog has no commercial purpose

    Any ads you see are placed here by Wordpress. I make no profit off my blog. I do receive books and DVDs for review.
  • Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Maryland, USA. I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I do accept and keep books, DVDs and CDs to review.

    If you would like to share a new site, or point out an error, please email me. (Yes, I am fallible. I'll own up to my mistakes and will make the corrections with a polite smile on my face.) Write me at

    gmailbw

    Thank you for visiting my blog. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

  • Copyright Statement

    © Vic Sanborn and Jane Austen's World, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Vic Sanborn and Jane Austen's World with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
  • Top Posts & Pages

    • Social Customs During the Regency
    • Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey
    • Awkward! The Regency Court Gown: Regency Fashion
    • Men's hair styles at the turn of the 19th century
    • Regency Fashion: Men's Breeches, Pantaloons, and Trousers
    • You can watch Persuasion 2007 online
    • Regency Hygiene: The Bourdaloue
    • Ladies Underdrawers in Regency Times: Regency Underwear
    • Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband
    • The heaving Regency bosom, or was it? Some facts laid bare.
  • Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: