Ezra Butler
@ezrabutler.bsky.social
Like Alice, I spend a lot of time going down rabbit-holes. Welcome to the tea party.
Interdisciplinary researcher of the history and language of color. Advocate of curiosity.
newsletter.colorphilia.com / colorphilia.com
Interdisciplinary researcher of the history and language of color. Advocate of curiosity.
newsletter.colorphilia.com / colorphilia.com
Some personal news newsletter.colorphilia.com/personal-upd...
Personal Updates & Curiosities
Today is my birthday and I'm leaving Chicago in June.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
May 27, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Some personal news newsletter.colorphilia.com/personal-upd...
A different origin story to polka-dots comes from musical notation, polka composers, and Morse code.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/semiotics-an...
newsletter.colorphilia.com/semiotics-an...
Semiotics and Semaphores: A History of the Polka-Dot
The Polka-Dot was inspired by the musical notation used by composers of polkas to create a staccato effect which mimicked the newly invented telegraph.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
May 2, 2025 at 9:58 PM
A different origin story to polka-dots comes from musical notation, polka composers, and Morse code.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/semiotics-an...
newsletter.colorphilia.com/semiotics-an...
My 60th Colorphilia newsletter is quite half-baked, in honor of various holidays this weekend.
Among other things, I question:
- if Moses wore an actual ram's head with horns on his head
- if the nickname for Richard is from the Arabic term for rooster
newsletter.colorphilia.com/half-baked-r...
Among other things, I question:
- if Moses wore an actual ram's head with horns on his head
- if the nickname for Richard is from the Arabic term for rooster
newsletter.colorphilia.com/half-baked-r...
Half-Baked Reinterpretations
It may surprise the Colorphilia subscriber that I have a lot of half-baked ideas I've been thinking about and researching. In other words, I'm not even pretending to have a central thesis this week.
...
newsletter.colorphilia.com
April 18, 2025 at 6:40 PM
My 60th Colorphilia newsletter is quite half-baked, in honor of various holidays this weekend.
Among other things, I question:
- if Moses wore an actual ram's head with horns on his head
- if the nickname for Richard is from the Arabic term for rooster
newsletter.colorphilia.com/half-baked-r...
Among other things, I question:
- if Moses wore an actual ram's head with horns on his head
- if the nickname for Richard is from the Arabic term for rooster
newsletter.colorphilia.com/half-baked-r...
The seven colors of the rainbow, according to Sir Isaac Newton, according to Crayola.
April 10, 2025 at 7:25 PM
The seven colors of the rainbow, according to Sir Isaac Newton, according to Crayola.
Spoiler alert for this week’s Colorphilia newsletter.
I didn’t know it, but I was missing two random pieces of information, and once I had them, the history of the color “indigo” (in English) became crystal clear.
And once that fell into place, I suddenly understood the history of color in a completely new light.
And once that fell into place, I suddenly understood the history of color in a completely new light.
April 8, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Spoiler alert for this week’s Colorphilia newsletter.
I didn’t know it, but I was missing two random pieces of information, and once I had them, the history of the color “indigo” (in English) became crystal clear.
And once that fell into place, I suddenly understood the history of color in a completely new light.
And once that fell into place, I suddenly understood the history of color in a completely new light.
April 8, 2025 at 11:18 PM
I didn’t know it, but I was missing two random pieces of information, and once I had them, the history of the color “indigo” (in English) became crystal clear.
And once that fell into place, I suddenly understood the history of color in a completely new light.
And once that fell into place, I suddenly understood the history of color in a completely new light.
#research
Idea:
A interdisciplinary historical journal in which every paper demonstrates a causal or correlative relationship with the price of tea in China.
Idea:
A interdisciplinary historical journal in which every paper demonstrates a causal or correlative relationship with the price of tea in China.
April 5, 2025 at 6:50 PM
#research
Idea:
A interdisciplinary historical journal in which every paper demonstrates a causal or correlative relationship with the price of tea in China.
Idea:
A interdisciplinary historical journal in which every paper demonstrates a causal or correlative relationship with the price of tea in China.
A nice Jewish boy wrote about his problems with Matthew 5:13 and the phrase “salt of the earth”.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/stardust-and...
newsletter.colorphilia.com/stardust-and...
Stardust and Hope
An exploration into the phrase "salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
April 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
A nice Jewish boy wrote about his problems with Matthew 5:13 and the phrase “salt of the earth”.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/stardust-and...
newsletter.colorphilia.com/stardust-and...
Talk about an embarrassment of riches, but if I meet an attractive guy named Matthew in the near future, should my pickup line include a reference to the mistranslation of “lilies” in Matthew 6:28, “gall” in Matthew 27:34, or the “salt of the earth” in Matthew 5:13?
Is this why I’m single?
Is this why I’m single?
April 1, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Talk about an embarrassment of riches, but if I meet an attractive guy named Matthew in the near future, should my pickup line include a reference to the mistranslation of “lilies” in Matthew 6:28, “gall” in Matthew 27:34, or the “salt of the earth” in Matthew 5:13?
Is this why I’m single?
Is this why I’m single?
Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30.
I read his letters last year, and somehow it frustrated me even more when big banks support van Gogh installations and shows, and not living artists.
Sunflowers had become an obsession or a symbol to him. He identified with them. He lived with them.
I read his letters last year, and somehow it frustrated me even more when big banks support van Gogh installations and shows, and not living artists.
Sunflowers had become an obsession or a symbol to him. He identified with them. He lived with them.
Vincent van Gogh, the Sunflower.
I've spent months reading van Gogh's letters, and I just created a few collections of sunflowers inspired by him.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
March 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30.
I read his letters last year, and somehow it frustrated me even more when big banks support van Gogh installations and shows, and not living artists.
Sunflowers had become an obsession or a symbol to him. He identified with them. He lived with them.
I read his letters last year, and somehow it frustrated me even more when big banks support van Gogh installations and shows, and not living artists.
Sunflowers had become an obsession or a symbol to him. He identified with them. He lived with them.
It happened to me:
I was sitting at a bar, minding my own business, sipping a delicious, refreshing cocktail, when, in a moment, a line in an essay by Susan Sontag reduced me to tears.
I was sitting at a bar, minding my own business, sipping a delicious, refreshing cocktail, when, in a moment, a line in an essay by Susan Sontag reduced me to tears.
March 29, 2025 at 12:16 AM
It happened to me:
I was sitting at a bar, minding my own business, sipping a delicious, refreshing cocktail, when, in a moment, a line in an essay by Susan Sontag reduced me to tears.
I was sitting at a bar, minding my own business, sipping a delicious, refreshing cocktail, when, in a moment, a line in an essay by Susan Sontag reduced me to tears.
For this week's Colorphilia newlsetter, I wrote about Venus, profanity, pornography, and the color blue.
There are also two delightful stories about Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield in there.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/50-shades-of...
There are also two delightful stories about Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield in there.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/50-shades-of...
50 Shades of Blue
Venus, the Renaissance, salty language, and the color blue.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
March 28, 2025 at 9:47 PM
For this week's Colorphilia newlsetter, I wrote about Venus, profanity, pornography, and the color blue.
There are also two delightful stories about Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield in there.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/50-shades-of...
There are also two delightful stories about Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield in there.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/50-shades-of...
The Vatican just dropped a new 12th century Ovid?!?!???!!!??!???!????!
🚨 Tall Skinny Mansuscript Alert 🚨 In this week's roundup of newly-digitized Vatican MSS by @aaronm.bsky.social is a 12c Ovid that is tall and skinny—about 9 ¼" x 4 ⅓". This made me wonder if anybody has tried to identify the corpus of MSS so proportioned. The Paris Psalter is the 1 I know best. 🧵
March 25, 2025 at 3:39 AM
The Vatican just dropped a new 12th century Ovid?!?!???!!!??!???!????!
Watching Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure for the first time, and finding it very anachronistic.
March 23, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Watching Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure for the first time, and finding it very anachronistic.
I researched the etymology of “amarilla” (yellow) for this week’s newsletter. newsletter.colorphilia.com/an-ephemeral...
An Ephemeral Color
Why is "amarilla", the Spanish word for yellow so different from all other words for yellow?
newsletter.colorphilia.com
March 21, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I researched the etymology of “amarilla” (yellow) for this week’s newsletter. newsletter.colorphilia.com/an-ephemeral...
Reposted by Ezra Butler
somehow, irish forests are kelly green instead of forest green, this checks out
March 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM
somehow, irish forests are kelly green instead of forest green, this checks out
The word Kelly simply comes from a corruption of the Irish word “coille” meaning grove / wood / forest.
Kelly Green basically means “Forest Green”.
Kelly Green basically means “Forest Green”.
March 18, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The word Kelly simply comes from a corruption of the Irish word “coille” meaning grove / wood / forest.
Kelly Green basically means “Forest Green”.
Kelly Green basically means “Forest Green”.
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the floral drawings in medieval translations of Dioscorides may not be completely accurate.
March 16, 2025 at 12:50 AM
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the floral drawings in medieval translations of Dioscorides may not be completely accurate.
There should be a word for when two completely unrelated things you are researching have a cross-over episode.
March 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
There should be a word for when two completely unrelated things you are researching have a cross-over episode.
Last night, the weather was so nice, I sat in the park and read an English translation of Machiavelli.
March 11, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Last night, the weather was so nice, I sat in the park and read an English translation of Machiavelli.
Before February began, I was under the impression that tulips had existed for less than a millenium, so I figured that 28 days was more than enough time to sufficiently cover their history.
- Ancient Egypt
- Greco-Roman Architecture
- Illuminated Manuscripts
newsletter.colorphilia.com/oh-susana/
- Ancient Egypt
- Greco-Roman Architecture
- Illuminated Manuscripts
newsletter.colorphilia.com/oh-susana/
Oh, Sušana!
A (hopefully) final newsletter about tulips.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
March 7, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Before February began, I was under the impression that tulips had existed for less than a millenium, so I figured that 28 days was more than enough time to sufficiently cover their history.
- Ancient Egypt
- Greco-Roman Architecture
- Illuminated Manuscripts
newsletter.colorphilia.com/oh-susana/
- Ancient Egypt
- Greco-Roman Architecture
- Illuminated Manuscripts
newsletter.colorphilia.com/oh-susana/
This morning, while trying to organize my research notes, I accidentally started reading Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath”, which logically led to Dante’s “Vita Nova”, when Virgil began pulling me down a rabbit-hole of perusing his bucolics and eclogues, while listening to the “Head Over Heels” cast album.
March 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
This morning, while trying to organize my research notes, I accidentally started reading Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath”, which logically led to Dante’s “Vita Nova”, when Virgil began pulling me down a rabbit-hole of perusing his bucolics and eclogues, while listening to the “Head Over Heels” cast album.
For the final week of Tulip month, i discovered that not only have tulips been around for 3 millennia, the shoshana (commonly translated as lily) seems to have been a red Persian tulip.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/tulips-the-f...
newsletter.colorphilia.com/tulips-the-f...
Tulips: the first 3000ish years
Tulips have a much longer and more illustrious history than we previously thought.
newsletter.colorphilia.com
February 28, 2025 at 1:21 AM
For the final week of Tulip month, i discovered that not only have tulips been around for 3 millennia, the shoshana (commonly translated as lily) seems to have been a red Persian tulip.
newsletter.colorphilia.com/tulips-the-f...
newsletter.colorphilia.com/tulips-the-f...