sepia
- noun
- /ˈsiːpiə/
- A huge portrait of the actor Edmund Keene, painted in sepia and black, decorated the far wall.
- sepia tone
- sepia photograph
Examples
-
I started dreaming in sepia tones, like the old brown photographs M'Dear set on our mantel in Chicago.
Fiction book (1994) -
One sepia photo with the date 1907 inscribed in the corner always drew her attention.
Fiction book (2002) -
This is very sepia brown, you know, looks very brown at the very bottom.
-
I found myself drawn to certain individuals in those sepia images and to bringing them back to life.
Fiction book (2002) -
On the wall to my right hung framed circus programs and sepia photographs.
Fiction book (1995) -
I recently came across an old, faded, sepia-toned 1940s photo of Mom and Aunt Rose.
Fiction book (1999) -
Walls covered with sepia-tone photos chronicling the history of the McCormick mines.
Fiction book (2002) -
The postcard shows a deco white hotel perched on a Hollywood hillside, photographed in sepia.
Academic text (2007) -
The artist used a rich sepia pigment to create the nostalgic atmosphere in his painting.
-
I found a sepia photograph of my grandparents from the 1940s that captures their youthful spirit.
Synonyms
A deep reddish-brown color like wood from a tropical tree
A reddish-brown paint color often used for paintings or walls
A brown color with a slight red tint
A red-brown paint made from earth used to draw under wall paintings
A deep warm red with a slight brown tone
Compounds
How Colorful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sepia comes from the Greek word sēpía, which means 'cuttlefish', because artists once used the brown ink of that sea animal for drawing and writing. That's why sepia now means a warm reddish-brown colour and the old-style tone you see in photos.