The Buffalo Gals are performing “Who Wore What Where”, an historic fashion show about Pioneering Women, at Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel in downtown Cody, Wyoming today. No charge, open to public but VERY limited space so get there about 6:45 pm. See Ya!
…plants through history, but most came from the “Indigofera” plant genus, which are native to the tropics and specifically from India. Another species called “strobilanthes” from Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan produces indigo. Dyer’s knotweed (“polygonum tinctorum”) was the most important blue dye in East Asia until the “Indigofera” was …
… and India and was made from the leaflets and branches of a shrub. It prevailed for blue color because it didn’t wash out from any fabric, and because it didn’t fade in light. It was the most popular dye until the middle of the 19th century. (Botanist’s sketch of …
… animals. In other words – from nature. Until the 1850’s, only natural dyes were used around the world. The predominant dyes used in ancient times were: Indigo – blue/purple from the leaves of dyer’s woad herb “isatis tinctoria”, and the indigo plant “indigofera tinctoria”; Alizarin – red from the …
… because they were a key reason that the Early Victorian Fashion Era turned into the Mid Victorian Fashion Era in about 1862. We’re almost to the 19th century… hang on. First – and 1858 daguerrotype of a CAT to find out if anyone is paying attention – and to …
… and status. The purples and scarlets were for nobles and royals in the ancient records. Later, wealthy would wear brighter hues, while low class dressed in “natural” colors. Slaves in the US wore greys, greens, and browns. (Portrait: 1756 Mrs. Tourner in Indigo)
… were continually found and developed, especially with the new resources being discovered in North America with the creation of the United States. Accidental discovery of beehives yielded yellow and gold. Blackberries and Bilberries gave pale blues and purples, although they were not fast – they did not stay dyed …
.. “in the wood” in England meant using locally found plant based and natural dyestuffs without alteration or use of mordants. The poor had natural colors; whites, blacks, browns, grays, and tans dyed onto fibers like wool or flax also available locally. The rich had the resources of the exotic …
… cloth before dying it using seawood from their coast. Later they would use chlorine. The MORDANT was being developed in many places and from many sources. A MORDANT was a substance used to precondition fabric so that its specific pH (acidity or alkalinity) would alter the chemistry of the …
.. Around 1500 France, Germany, and the Netherlands started to cultivate and farm plants specifically to be used as dye. England in the 1600’s used the Logwood Tree, and a Dutch chemist figured out how to take the red cochineal and add tin to it. This started the concept of …
