Red, White & Blue

From the War of Independence to the French Revolution

We instantly associate the historical combination of red, white & blue with the birth of the United States flag and the American Revolution. But, do you know where this color trend originated in the late 1700's?

At the time of the War of Independence, which from 1774 to 1776 brought into conflict the American Colonists and their British homeland, the members of the independence movement adopted a "counter-flag". This counter-flag assumed the colors of the Union Jack (the British flag), but with a new (and independent) design and symbolism.

These colors, associated with the American independence, soon became extremely popular with the French Revolutionaries who adopted red, white & blue clothes to exhibit their allegiance to the Republican movement. After the storming of the Bastille, on July 14, 1789, red, white & blue ended up on the Republic emblem, and, eventually, on its flag.

Ultimately, red, white & blue, the well recognized colors of the United States and France were, in fact, founded on the colors of the... British flag.

Pastoureau, Michel; Dictionnaire des couleurs de notre temps; Paris, Christine Bonneton, 1999; 255 pages; Collection Symbolique et société.