Bistre

Bistre (or bister) can refer to two things: a very dark shade of grayish brown (the version shown in the color box); a shade of brown made from soot, or the name for a color resembling the brownish pigment. Bistre's appearance is generally of a dark grayish brown, with a yellowish cast. Beechwood was burned to produce the soot, which was boiled and diluted with water. Many Old Masters used bistre as the ink for their drawings. The first recorded use of bistre as a color name in English was in 1727; another name for the color bistre issoot brown.