Magenta, the Color Born from a Battle

The history of colors is intertwined with the evolution of humanity, reflecting scientific advances, cultural conquests, and historical moments that have left an indelible mark on our perception of the world. Each color contains within it a fragment of the human story, and some, like magenta, shine not only because of their chromatic intensity but also due to the uniqueness of their origin and the symbolic richness they carry through time.

The story of magenta is not just that of a chemical discovery, but also the chronicle of a turbulent era in which Europe was caught between revolutions, wars of independence, and unprecedented technological progress. This color, which we now find in printers, textiles, modern art, and graphic design, was born at the crossroads of laboratory chemistry and the roar of battle.

In the mid-19th century, during the height of the Industrial Revolution, chemical science was experiencing a period of extraordinary development. The need for new materials, the transformation of industries, and scientific curiosity drove constant research. In this context, organic chemistry, focused on carbon compounds, became a field of innovation and surprise.

magenta colour battle — Fragments of basic fuchsin. Credit: Globe Collector / Wikimedia Commons

One of the great advances of this period was the synthesis of artificial dyes, which allowed the textile industry to become independent from the plants and animals traditionally used for dyeing. It was no longer necessary to rely on indigo, cochineal carmine, or purple extracted from mollusks to achieve intense and lasting hues. Laboratories became the new color gardens.

It is in this setting that fuchsine appeared, one of the first synthetic dyes derived from aniline, a substance obtained from coal tar. In 1856, Polish chemist Jakub Natanson succeeded in synthesizing fuchsine from aniline and 1,2-dichloroethane, anticipating in some respects his European colleagues. However, his discovery did not gain immediate diffusion or the recognition it deserved. It was two years later, in 1858, that fuchsine began to attract real interest. That year, renowned German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann also synthesized the substance, this time using aniline and carbon tetrachloride. At the same time, in Lyon, French chemist François-Emmanuel Verguin made the same discovery independently. Verguin took the initiative to patent the dye and market it, a decision that made him a key figure in the spread of this new color.

The name “fuchsine” was chosen by the company Renard Frères et Franc, which began its production and sale in the city of Lyon. The dye resembled the color of the flowers of the fuchsia plant, discovered a century earlier in South America, and that similarity served to name the new product. Fuchsine quickly conquered the European textile market thanks to its intense hue—between red and purple—and its durability. However, its use also raised some concern: fuchsine was even experimented with in wine coloration, but this practice was abandoned after it was found that the dye was toxic. Despite this, its success as a fabric dye was immediate, and it became a symbol of the chemical progress of the 19th century.

But the name “fuchsine” would not be final. In 1859, a military event would change the course of Italian history and, unexpectedly, also influence the name of the color. On June 4 of that year, in the Lombardy region, a crucial confrontation took place between the French and Piedmontese armies on one side, and the Austrian forces on the other. This battle was part of the Second Italian War of Independence, a conflict in which Napoleon III decided to intervene to help the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia liberate northern Italy from Austrian rule. The site chosen for the battle was a small agricultural town about nineteen kilometers west of Milan: Magenta.

The Battle of Magenta was a fierce and complex clash. The terrain, divided by canals, crossed by rivers, and dotted with orchards, did not allow for large strategic maneuvers or massive cavalry deployments. For this reason, the fighting was resolved through skirmishes, hand-to-hand combat, and slow advances through the town’s streets. Despite Austrian resistance, the combined Franco-Piedmontese army managed to take control of the area, forcing the Austrians to retreat. It was not a crushing victory, but it was enough to change the course of the war. Four days later, Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II made their triumphant entrance into Milan, and little by little other northern Italian cities rose up against the imperial power of Vienna. The battle was recorded as a crucial moment in Italian unification.

The political and symbolic impact of the victory was enormous. To celebrate it, France honored its commander Patrice de Mac Mahon with the title of Duke of Magenta. Years later, this same general would become president of the French Third Republic. In Paris, a boulevard was named after the Lombard town where the battle had taken place, and the name “Magenta” became synonymous with victory. It is not surprising, then, that the dye fuchsine also adopted this new name in honor of the military triumph. Thus the color magenta was born, as a remembrance of a victory and as a symbol of the combative and nationalistic spirit of an era marked by political and social transformations.

The link between the color’s name and the battle has given rise to multiple interpretations. The Royal Spanish Academy, for example, indicates that magenta commemorates the blood shed in the combat. This theory finds support in the color’s shade, which may evoke the violence of the confrontation. However, there are reasons to believe that the name change was more about celebrating a victory than mourning a massacre. The Battle of Magenta, though fierce, was not the bloodiest of the 19th century. More than the blood, what was meant to be highlighted was the military achievement and the alliance between France and Piedmont. Magenta is not the color of pain, but of glory tinted with modernity.

Over the years, magenta was incorporated into multiple disciplines and practices. In art, it has been used by Impressionist, Fauvist, and contemporary painters for its ability to attract attention and generate intense emotions. In advertising and graphic design, its visual strength made it a standout color. But it is in the science of color where magenta found one of its most relevant roles. In the subtractive color model CMYK—used in color printing—magenta is one of the three primary colors along with cyan and yellow. In this model, which allows for the reproduction of nearly any color by combining pigments, magenta is positioned as an essential component. Thus, a color born from the fumes of a laboratory and the smoke of battle became an indispensable tool for contemporary visual communication.

Magenta, therefore, is not simply a color. It is a crossroads of science, history, politics, and culture. Its name, which was initially a floral tribute, ended up being a military remembrance. Its composition, which was a chemical feat, also became a national symbol. Today, when we see a printed poster, a modern painting, or a garment dyed magenta, we may not think of Lyon, or Milan, or the Lombard trenches. But there it is, latent—the complex history of a color that represents more than it seems. In every shade of magenta resonates a fascinating story: one of innovation, of struggle, and of the human capacity to turn even the smallest discovery into a lasting symbol.

This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on April 17, 2025: Magenta, el color que nació de una batalla