Alice blue
A pale blue shade named for Alice Roosevelt, once a fashion trend in the US
Alice blue is a very light blue with a hint of grey, named after Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of US President Theodore Roosevelt. First appearing in 1905, it became widely known through fashion, advertising, and a popular song, and is now a standard web colour and used by the US Navy.
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- Named after Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt
- First appeared in 1905 and became a fashion trend in the US
- Inspired the song "Alice Blue Gown" from the 1919 musical Irene
- Used by the US Navy for the USS Theodore Roosevelt
- Defined as #F0F8FF in web and digital standards
What colour is Alice blue?
Alice blue is a soft, pale blue with a slight grey cast. It sits among the lightest blues, distinct from both baby blue and periwinkle. The colour is subtle and understated, often described as gentle or delicate. Its particular shade was once closely linked to a specific person, which set it apart from other light blues.
Where does Alice blue come from?
The name comes from Alice Roosevelt Longworth, whose fondness for this shade made it famous in the United States in the early 1900s. The colour was first seen in 1905 and quickly caught on in fashion and advertising. Its association with Alice Roosevelt helped the name become common in both popular culture and professional circles.
How Alice blue is defined
Alice blue is not a pigment or dye, but a colour value. It is defined for digital use as #F0F8FF. In earlier times, any pale blue that did not match baby blue or periwinkle might have been called Alice blue, but today it is a fixed shade in web and digital standards.
Where Alice blue is used
The shade became popular in clothing and textiles, especially in the United States, and was often featured in early 20th-century advertisements. It is also used by the US Navy for insignia and trim on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. In 1987, Alice blue was included as one of the original X11 colour names for computers and web design.
Blue around the world
What the blue family means from country to country.
The flag's colours have no official meaning. For the Great Seal of 1782, though, blue was said to stand for vigilance, perseverance and justice, white for purity and red for hardiness and valour.
Politics and protestTrustSource: Flag of the United StatesLapis lazuli has been mined in the mountains of Badakhshan for more than six thousand years. Ground to powder it gave ultramarine, the costliest blue in European painting.
Royalty and powerSacred and holyAweSource: Lapis lazuliThe chadari is a full-length covering for women with a mesh panel over the eyes. In Kabul and the north it is most often a light blue.
Protection and healingSource: BurqaThe blue band of the flag stands for the wish of the Armenian people to live under peaceful skies. The red above it is for the highlands and the struggle to survive.
Politics and protestHopeSource: Flag of ArmeniaThe flag is sky blue, white and sky blue, created by Manuel Belgrano in 1812. National teams are called the Albiceleste, the white and sky blue.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of ArgentinaBoca Juniors play in blue and gold. The club's story is that in 1907 it took the colours of the flag of the next ship into port, which was Swedish.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: Boca JuniorsShades and relatives of Alice blue
Descriptions of Alice blue have varied over time. In the early 1900s, the name could refer to a range of pale blues, as long as they were not baby blue or periwinkle. Today, the digital standard fixes it as a single shade, but older references may use the name more loosely.
Colours that go with Alice blue
Harmonies are worked out from the value #F0F8FF. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Alice blue
What colour is Alice blue?
Alice blue is a very light blue with a greyish tint. It is softer than baby blue and distinct from periwinkle, and is defined for digital use as #F0F8FF.
Where does the name Alice blue come from?
The colour is named after Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of US President Theodore Roosevelt, who was known for favouring this shade in her clothing.
How is Alice blue used today?
Alice blue is a standard web colour and is used by the US Navy for insignia and trim on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. It was also once popular in fashion and advertising.
When did Alice blue first appear?
The colour was first used in 1905 and gained popularity in the early 20th century, especially in the United States.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Alice blue", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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