Bistre
![[Sex] workers at rest, a drawing drawn using bistre pigment by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806)](/uploads/202412/24/Jhfragonard25245.jpg)



Bistre (or bister) can refer to two things: a very dark shade of grayish black (the version shown on the immediate right); 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.