Morality
& Law
Over
history it often been considered immoral to wear certain
colours especially bright ones. The Puritans considered
a woman in red as having sins of scarlet, like the biblical
whore Jezebel, a very colourful woman much over decorated
with precious materials and gems. In the time of Henry VIII
there were sumptuary laws that made it illegal to wear purple
unless you were a member of the royal family. |
 |
Red
was also illegal unless you were titled. It is even believed
that the ‘Lincoln Grain’ that was worn by
Robin Hood was actually red. As a titled man he would
not be expected to wear green even as camouflage. Black
was reserved for scholars and clerics. In more recent
times it has been illegal to copy and claim the tinctures
and charges of a heraldic shield, but it’s been
over a hundred years since anyone was put in jail for
a heraldic offence.
(Left) In England, as also abroad, the blazen of Heralds
was laid down by heraldic law.
|
Then,
during World War 2 the German Jews had to wear a yellow
sign on their backs. Today certain colours are copyright
and people can’t use them in commercial products,
for example the orange of Heinz Baked Beans or the blue
of Klein Blue. These and many more are listed at the Patents
Office in London. It is illegal to claim and publish colour
systems such as Pantone, Munsell, and so on. |
©
Micro Academy 2004 |
Areas
of Knowledge
Options