Until the XIX century, men and women alike resorted to bright colors in costume, exposed lace, expensive velvet, fine silk and embroidery, extremely elegant shoes, hairstyles, wigs and hats with jewelry, and in the XVIII century on an equal footing used powder, blushes and other cosmetics. In the XIX century, men retreated into the shade, leaving the brightness and variegated women. In the history of fashion, this "care" entered as a "great refusal of men" Color has turned into a tool of tender differentiation, clearly separating the "light" women (according to the ideas of the era, like angels dressed in white clothes) from the "dark" men, forced by occupation to rotate in a large "unclean" world and dressed in black official costumes. Based on numerous examples from literature and painting, John Harvey examines the type of people (mostly men) in black and analyzes the diverse meanings that have been attributed to this multi-valued color for centuries.