Colour White
White is considered a non-colour. It is often paired with other colours, making them stand out and giving them brightness, yet it also has its own personality.
White contains all the colours of the electromagnetic spectrum and is a colour of high brightness. In fact, it is associated with light, as opposed to black, which corresponds to darkness.
White is one of the first colours to have been used by humans: during the Paleolithic era, those who painted in caves used calcite or gypsum alongside charcoal and red and yellow ochre.
The colour white is associated with concepts such as purity, perfection, honesty, hygiene and cleanliness, wisdom and spirituality.
In the ancient Mediterranean world, and still today in some Eastern countries, white is connected with death (it is the colour of new beginnings and can symbolise the reunification with divine light). In Western civilizations, however, it is mainly used for weddings, baptisms and First Communions; all ceremonies associated with purity and virtue, as well as rites of passage.
In Western fairy tales, white represents light, the hero's salvation, or the intervention of a benevolent force. It is often the colour of special creatures such as unicorns, pegasi and swans. Even when the story involves a typically negative creature, like a dragon, if it is white, it is considered good.
This colour seems to have only positive qualities, yet white also has a negative side: it can mean emptiness, the absence of feeling, loneliness and coldness.
In clothing, it is present in all the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world, also because it reflects sunlight and helps protect from the heat.
In ancient Egypt, when paired with other colours, it creates a strict balance.
In Greece, during the classical period, white is the main character, highlighting drapery and the harmony of shapes.
In Rome, the Vestal Virgins wear white robes, and the white toga, made of wool or linen in natural white or bleached, is the symbol of the patrician class that holds power.
In the Middle Ages, after the spread of Christianity, white becomes more closely associated with religious symbols and the robes of monks.
In Europe, until the 1600s, it is the colour of widows in mourning.
In the early 19th century, with the Empire style, white becomes the official colour of the Napoleonic era.
Queen Victoria wears a white dress for her wedding to Prince Albert, a quite unusual choice for the time. It was not the first white wedding dress in history, but it certainly had such an impact that the tradition of the bride in white has since become widespread (at least in the Western world).
A white dress, worn with a purple sash paired with gold (in America) or green (in England), is the uniform of the suffragettes who protest to obtain the right to vote. It was an inexpensive dress, almost all of them had one, it gave them a respectable appearance and stood out well in black-and-white photos in newspapers.
In more contemporary times, white continues to play an important role in fashion, more or less prominent depending on the periods and seasons.
-------
The history of colours is both fascinating and complex, involving many aspects of human life and history. Here, I chose to focus mainly on the historical and social aspects related to clothing. Moreover, aside from a few brief references, it is a partial perspective, limited to Western culture — particularly European — which I know best and for which it is easier for me to find documentation.
Read the others articles about the history of colours: