.

Inspiration in the color Alice blue.

Learn the history and meaning of the color Alice blue, a pale pastel named after a famed ball gown.

Design with Alice blue

Get inspired with Alice blue design templates.

The color Alice blue is the palest azure that’s easy to use in any project.

Load more

What is the meaning of the color Alice blue?

Alice blue is the palest azure, an almost-white hue of a cloudless sky when the sun is high. The color Alice blue has a wisp of warmth, too, but in such a pale tint that it’s barely perceivable. A tranquil color, Alice blue was named after a gown worn by a socialite and author who, throughout her life, was anything but tranquil. The curious history of the color Alice blue is part of its charm.

Alice blue is the lightest shade of sky blue. It’s a pastel color representing tranquility, freedom, and openness.

The history of Alice blue color.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth and the color Alice blue.

Alice blue is the palest tint of sky blue. Like all colors, it existed long before we gave it a name, but it was popularized after Alice Roosevelt Longworth (daughter of Theodore Roosevelt) wore an Alice blue color gown at her social debut in 1902. Socialite magazines raved about the gown and its color and subsequently named the hue after Alice. The color Alice blue became a major trend in women’s clothing after that.

Alice blue as a symbol of openness (in two different ways).

The color Alice blue is the palest azure and shares its psychology with blue. It sparks feelings of tranquility, dependability, and openness. The historical meaning of Alice blue in the context of Alice Roosevelt Longworth conjures a different kind of openness, though. In society news, Alice was the center of attention during her father’s presidency, and she was not a young woman to be restricted. Her frolicsome antics and openness to speak her mind were famous.

Other famous tributes to the color Alice blue—and to Alice.

Alice blue color is one of the original 1987 X11 color names used in web authoring, meaning it can be displayed accurately on most digital screens. The color Alice blue is also specified by the U.S. Navy for use in insignia and trim on the USS Theadore Roosevelt.

The color Alice blue across different cultures.

Is Alice blue found in the world of literature?

The color Alice blue has been used as a color description in many written works since its inception. Urban legend also links Alice blue mistakenly to another Alice, though, specifically one from popular literature. It’s easy to think that Alice blue color comes from the blue dress worn by Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The book was published in 1865, however, decades before the color term was coined.

“Alice Blue Gown,” the song inspired by the color Alice blue.

The Alice blue color gown worn at Alice Roosevelt Longworth’s debut inspired a song, too. Written for the 1919 Broadway musical, Irene, the song “Alice Blue Gown” was first recorded by Edith Day. Other popular recordings include those by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and Frank Sinatra. The lyrics describe a “sweet Alice blue gown” that the wearer socially debuts in, and in which she loves to “primp” in every window as she walks down the street.

In Renaissance art, Alice blue color was used to depict the heavens.

The lightest shades of azure—like Alice blue and powder blue—were commonly used in works of art to depict the heavens, angels, and supernatural beings long before the shades had unique names. Renaissance art used Alice blue in famous depictions of biblical scenes, like in Michelangelo’s depiction of God and Adam in the Sistine Chapel.