… came from the crushed insect dye, cochineal (see earlier sections on dyes). Bright reds and pinks from cochineal and other natural sources like berries and seeds were a favorite of both men and women colonists.
Intense blue or royal purple other than the blue/green or purple/pink types of blues could only be found from rare sources outside of the Colonies, so only the very rich and European royalty wore certain blues and purples.
(Photo/sketch: “Redcoat” military uniforms of the British in America before, during, and after the Revolutionary War were dyed from the cochineal insect)(Below: dried cochineal and colors on wool yard it can yield)
