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This case may serve as an example,-in opposition to that where I have cited the assortment Green and Red complementaries, with the intention of demonstrating the economical advantage of assortments of contrasts of colour in general (658.), to make us clearly comprehend that in the assortments of colours suitable to military uniforms, a good selection is much more difficult to make the further it is removed from the contrast of complementary colours.

ARTICLE 3.

Of a Uniform composed of a Single Colour and White.

(666.) After the remarks I have made on the increase of tone that the juxtaposition of White gives to colours (52.), and from the order I have established between the assortments of Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, and Violet with White (185.), I have but little to add upon uniforms presenting these associations. We must not lose sight of the fact, that at the same time the colours are heightened, their respective complementaries ally themselves to White, and produce effects the more evident, other things being equal, the higher the tone of the colours is taken. If the White is reddened, the juxtaposition of Blue will augment the tint; that of Violet will lighten it by yellowing it; that of Green will exalt the red colour; finally, that of Yellow, and especially that of Orange, will enfeeble it.

(667.) A white uniform has a good effect, not only when white trousers are worn with a white coat, a white coat with the collar and facings of a pure colour suitably chosen, but also when trousers of a light colour are worn, for example, sky-blue with a coat white or faced of the same colour as the trousers, or of a colour which will suitably accord with them. Finally, white trousers associate well with a coat of one colour.

ARTICLE 4.

Of a bi-coloured Uniform, into which White enters.

(668.) White, associated with two colours to compose a uniform-coat, produces a really good effect only with blue

and orange, blue and red. It has a weaker effect with green and yellow, and with blue and yellow: this is, however, as we might expect from what I have said of associations of two pure colours with white (185. and following).

(669.) If white does not associate equally well with two colours to form a coat, it has always a good effect when it is worn as trousers with a bi-coloured coat. For example, with a light or dark-blue coat and orange; with a light or darkblue coat and red, with a sky-blue coat and yellow, with a green and red coat, and with one of green and yellow.

Nothing is better suited to demonstrate the advantage of white associated with blue and with red than the difference we remark between a dark-blue coat and madder-red trousers, worn without white leather facings, and the effect of the same uniform worn with these latter.

ARTICLE 5.

Of a bi-coloured Uniform, into which Black enters.

(670.) Black is susceptible of entering advantageously into the composition of many uniforms composed of two bright colours; such as Red, Scarlet, Orange, Yellow, and bright Green, for example; a plain scarlet coat, or one with facings of a yellow more green than orange, or also of a green, or of a delicate blue, accord perfectly well with black

trousers.

Finally, black trousers may be associated with sombre colours in uniforms which are not required to be visible from a distance.

ARTICLE 6.

Of a Uniform in which there are more than Two Colours, not comprising either Black or White.

(671.) If we can put three colours into a uniform, particularly red, blue, and yellow, without producing a bad effect, nevertheless I give the preference to bi-coloured uniforms, with which white or black are suitably associated; and I also seize this occasion to remark, that if the sight of many

colours is more agreeable to the eye than a single one, there are, notwithstanding, all sorts of inconveniences in presenting to the eyes too large a number at one time, whether these colours are distributed over different objects, or upon distinct parts of the same object.

ARTICLE 7.

Of a Uniform composed of different Hues of the same Colour.

(672.) Strictly speaking, it is possible to make some agreeable assortments of colours belonging to contiguous scales, or, what is the same thing, to the same hue of colour; yet the difficulty of succeeding in assortments of this kind, and the facility of succeeding in those of contrast of colour, determine me to reject the former, at least whenever we use brilliant colours; for in uniforms of sombre colours they may be employed.

In order to explain my views against the assorting of different hues of the same colour, I shall cite:

The ill effects of the uniforms of French troops where there is a juxtaposition of madder-red and cochineal-red; such as the uniform of dragoons, where the facings of the coat are cochineal-red, and the trousers are madder-red.

ARTICLE 8.

Of Uniforms composed of Two Tones of the same Scale.

(673.) The association of two tones of the same colour for a uniform is not agreeable; in fact, the lightest tone loses some of its colour, and if the deep tone acquires it, this is seldom or never an advantage. Besides, it will be useless to dwell upon this subject, since practice is altogether dependent on theory.

ARTICLE 9.

Of a Uniform of One Colour.

(674.) If uniforms which present contrasts of colour are advantageous in an economical point of view, if uniforms of

light colours are advantageous when we wish to impress an enemy by the number of combatants opposed to him, there are cases where, far from deploying battalions and squadrons, with the intention of rendering extended lines visible, we seek, on the contrary, to conceal the presence of riflemen or sharpshooters. For the latter, and also if we wish to establish a kind of hierarchy between different corps by means of dress, we may have recourse to a monochromous uniform of a sombre colour.

§ 2.

ON THE INFLUENCE OF SUPERFICIAL PROPORTIONS ACCORDING TO WHICH CLOTHS OF DIFFERENT COLOURS ARE ASSOCIATED IN MANY-COLOURED UNIFORMS.

(675.) I have already had many occasions to remark that the proportion of superficial extent which different contiguous colours occupy, and the manner in which these colours are distributed, with regard to each other, even if we suppose them well assorted, have considerable influence upon the effects they produce (249., 251., 365.). Conformably to these principles I must add that it will not suffice to choose for uniforms colours of which the association is satisfactory; but, in order to obtain the best possible result, we must employ them in certain respective proportions and distribute them suitably. Although I have no intention of entering into any details upon this subject, yet I shall make a few remarks in connection with it.

(676.) When one colour is relatively in smaller proportion than another, it is necessary for it to be distributed as equally as possible throughout the uniform; an example which supports this proposition is the artillery uniform of blue and scarlet: this latter colour, which is far from being equal in superficial extent to the first, produces a very good effect, because it is distributed over the whole uniform.

(677.) In a many-coloured uniform, where one colour is found on different pieces of clothing,-both coat and trousers, for example, we must avoid the colour confounding to the

eye contiguous or superimposed parts in such manner that a part of one piece appears to belong to the other; thus some regiments of the French army wear with madder-red trousers a blue coat, the facings of which are of the same red. Now what results from this? Why, at a certain distance, the red facings confound themselves with the trousers; the skirts of the coat appear diminished to their blue parts, and are judged to be too narrow. It would be easy to remedy this defect, by putting facings of blue with a red edging.

In summing up, I am disposed to admit the two following principles:

1o. Whenever in a uniform the coat and trousers are of the same colour, and there is in the former a second colour which exists only in small proportion, it must be repeated upon the trousers in broad band if the soldier wears boots, and in simple edging if he wears shoes.

2o. Whenever the trousers are of a colour distinct from the coat (that is to say, different from that which we make the ground), a band or a simple edging of the colour of the coat will produce the effect of this colour in the trousers.

§ 3.

OF THE ADVANTAGES OF CONTRAST CONSIDERED WITH REGARD TO THE APPARENT FRESHNESS OF CLOTHS FOR CLOTHING.

(678.) The contrast produced by the colours of cloths composing a uniform is not only advantageous to the brightness and apparent preservation of the colours of these cloths, but also to render less visible the inequalities which a cloth presents on account of dye not having uniformly penetrated to the centre of the stuff, the surface wearing unequally according as it is exposed to friction of different degrees of intensity, the colour of the cloth becomes lighter, or, as it is commonly called, whitens in the parts most exposed to friction: : many blue, scarlet, and madder-red cloths present this result especially on the salient parts of the vestment,

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