White

White is the lightest colour and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the colour of fresh snow, chalk and milk, and is the opposite of black.

White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light.

White on television and computer screens is created by a mixture of red, blue and green light.

In ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, priestesses wore it as a symbol of purity, and Romans wore a white toga as a symbol of citizenship.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance a white unicorn symbolised chastity, and a white lamb sacrifice and purity.

It was the royal colour of the kings of France, and of the monarchist movement that opposed the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War (1917–1922).

Greek and Roman temples were faced with white marble, and beginning in the 18th century, with the advent of neoclassical architecture, it became the most common colour of new churches, capitols and other government buildings, especially in the United States.

It was also widely used in 20th century modern architecture as a symbol of modernity and simplicity.

According to surveys in Europe and the United States, it is the colour most often associated with perfection, the good, honesty, cleanliness, the beginning, the new, neutrality, and exactitude.

An important colour for almost all world religions.

The pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has worn white since 1566, as a symbol of purity and sacrifice.

In Islam, and in the Shinto religion of Japan, it is worn by pilgrims.

In Western cultures and in Japan, it is the most common colour for wedding dresses, symbolising purity and virginity.

In many Asian cultures, it is also the colour of mourning.

Hex code on mom2B stock: #FFFFFF