Green (Light)
Retired1936-1951
Introduced at the annual Pottery and Glass Exhibit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in January 1936 - meet Light Green. One of the original colors of Fiesta drawn up by Frederick Hurten Rhead himself - Light Green is one of four shades produced during the original run, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a fan favorite!
Production
Green (Light) was retired in 1951, so it is a hunt for secondhand pieces now. Fiesta Factory Direct is where the colors still being made are, if you are filling a set.
Shop Fiesta Factory Direct (opens in a new tab)Notes on Green (Light)
Light Green was in the original 1936 five, and it's the ancestor of what became Fiesta's biggest family - thirteen greens have followed it. It's a mid-depth green with a little blue in it, which is why it sits so comfortably next to Cobalt. Fifteen years on the shelf, then retired in 1951 in the same clear-out that took Cobalt and Old Ivory. Worth knowing if you're identifying a piece: it's close enough to modern Jade to confuse the two at a glance, though Jade is noticeably darker in hand. The name is a period one - nothing to do with the later Medium Green, which is a different and much scarcer color.
Using Green (Light) on a table
Green (Light) has enough color to be noticed without taking over, which makes it a good second or third piece - a salad plate or a serving bowl rather than the whole setting. Its mid lightness (L* 38) means most food reads against it without either washing out or vanishing. It separates strongly from a white cloth (6.9:1) and less so from dark wood.
Below, 5 combinations built only from colors Fiesta has actually produced. Each says which rule it follows, and which pieces you can still buy today.
Buy these to go with it
Green (Light) was retired in 1951, but these are all in production now - the set you can actually finish buying.
Opposite on the wheel
Heather sits roughly opposite Green (Light) in hue, which is the highest-contrast pairing the palette offers. The neutrals keep it from shouting.
All green
Every color here is from the green family, arranged light to dark. A single-family table reads calm and deliberate rather than busy.
- Sea Mist Green
- Shamrock
-
Your color Green (Light)
- Evergreen
Three-way split
Plum and Butterscotch sit about a third of the way around the color wheel from Green (Light) in each direction. Evenly spaced hues stay lively without any one taking over.
- White
- Butterscotch
-
Your color Green (Light)
- Plum
Next-door hues
These sit within about 55° of Green (Light) on the color wheel. Neighboring hues blend instead of competing, which suits a table you want to feel warm rather than sharp.
Where Green (Light) sits in the line
Green (Light) was the first green Fiesta made; 12 more have followed it. In 1936 it arrived alongside Blue (Cobalt), Old Ivory, Red, 1936-1943 and Yellow, 1936-1969. What else happened in 1936 →
Closest colors in the palette
Ranked by CIEDE2000 (ΔE) against Green (Light). Under about ΔE 5 two colors are hard to tell apart side by side - useful when you are identifying an unmarked piece.
On the table alongside Green (Light)
9 colors were in production at the same time: