The natural constituents of historical textile dyes

2004/01/01 by Ester S.B. Ferreira, Alison N. Hulme, Hamish McNab +1 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Medicine · #Flowering Plant Growth and Cultivation #Horticultural and Viticultural Research #Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities

paper · doi:10.1039/b305697j

openalex publication_date 2004/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22

Abstract

The sources and structures of dyes used to colour Western historical textiles are described in this tutorial review. Most blue and purple colours were derived from indigo--obtained either from woad or from the indigo plant--though some other sources (e.g. shellfish and lichens) were used. Reds were often anthraquinone derivatives obtained from plants or insects. Yellows were almost always flavonoid derivatives obtained from a variety of plant species. Most other colours were produced by over-dyeing--e.g. greens were obtained by over-dyeing a blue with a yellow dye. Direct analysis of dyes isolated from artefacts allows comparison with the historical record.

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Discussions

• Collaboration between University of Edinburgh's School of Chemistry and National Museum of Scotland: Ferreira, E. S. B., Hulme, A. N., McNab, H. and Quye, A. (2004) 'The natural constituents of histor [bsky, 5 points, 1 comments]

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