Pink. The History of Color

Despite the fact that the color pink is often found in nature, it was a rarity in European culture until the 14th century: it was hardly used in painting, clothing, or everyday life. Everything changed with the beginning of the import of the exotic dye from the Pernambuco tree to Europe, and later with the development of floristry: it was only in the 18th century that varieties of roses of a truly pink color were developed. It was then that the color got its name from the flower.

When and how did pink become a "feminine" color? How was its emergence related to fashion, botany, heraldry, and religious symbolism? Why did it associate more with masculinity in the Middle Ages, but found itself at the center of aesthetic, social, and ideological shifts in the 20th century? 

Relying on numerous sources, the author traces the complex and contradictory fate of the color pink — from cave paintings and ancient vases to Barbie dolls. 

Michel Pasturo is a leading medieval historian, professor at the Practical School of Higher Studies in Paris. His books "Blue", "Black", "Red", "Green", "White", and "Yellow", as well as "Devilish Matter. The History of Stripes and Striped Fabrics", were previously published by the NLO publishing house.