title: How do I set emacs frame background colour?
body: <p>I am using Emacs 24.3.1 on Ubuntu 13.10 amd64, Xubuntu session running in GUI mode.</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/lsHZj.png" alt="unwanted grey frame background"></p>
  
  <p>As you can see the frame background is grey.  I want it to be white.  The following all continue to result in a grey frame background:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><code>emacs -bg white</code></li>
  <li><code>(set-background-color "white")</code></li>
  <li><code>(add-to-list 'default-frame-alist '(background-color . "white"))</code></li>
  <li><code>(add-to-list 'initial-frame-alist '(background-color . "white"))</code></li>
  <li><kbd>M-x</kbd> <code>set-background-color</code> <kbd>RET</kbd> <code>white</code></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>The screenshot shows doing <kbd>M-x</kbd> <code>describe-face</code>.  All the variations are what I have found elsewhere in searching, but nothing works.  (Yes I restart after changing <code>.emacs</code> and verify there are no errors.  I don't have <code>.Xdefaults</code>/<code>.Xresources</code>.)  Even picking a theme from Options > Customize Emacs > Custom Theme doesn't result in the frame background changing colour while everything else does.</p>