The Garden of Dyes

No wool is so white that it can’t be dyed black. English proverb

Dyestuffs from plants and animals are used to change the colour of all kinds of textiles in a permanent manner.

The use of vegetable dyes probably dates back to the Neolithic period (ca. 3000 AD). Two interesting examples are woad (from the cabbage family, Isatis tinctoria ) and true indigo (an extract, Indigofera tinctoria ), as neither show any external sign of being capable of dying materials brilliant blue.

This ancient tradition often involves complex procedures of extraction and usage, and it extends to hundreds of plants across the world throughout every civilisation. In many cases, both the plant and/or its component parts are heavily traded. But the glorious past was to a large extent ended with the discovery and manufacture of synthetic pigments towards the end of the 19 th century.

An essential step in the process of traditional plant dyeing is mordanting . This process ensures the dye can penetrate the fibres, which it must first do should it later become resistant to light and water.

Some vegetable dyes work without mordanting and are known as substantive dyes. Examples include turmeric, annatto, carthamus and tannin-rich dyes (e.g., catechu, walnut, barks, etc.).

Regional dyes YELLOW: golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria L.), common hemp-nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit L.), dyer’s greenweed (Genista tinctoria L.), weld or dyer’s rocket (Reseda luteola L.), saffron (Crocus sativus L.), coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara L.), cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris ). RED TO BROWN: dyer’s woodruff (Asperula tinctoria L.), sweetscented bedstraw (Galium odoratum (L.) Scop .), dwarf safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.), common madder (Rubia tinctorum L.), wild madder (Rubia peregrina L.), Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus L.), Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.). BROWN TO BLACK: black catechu (Acacia catechu L.), henna (Lawsonia inermis L.), Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.). BLUE: true indigo (Indigofera tinctoria L.), Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria ).

Images:

1. A chromolithograph of vegetable dyes (Liebig Co., ca. 1950)

2. Dyers of the Middle Ages (Bartholomeus Anglicus, De proprietatibus rerum , ca. 1482/1500), © The British Library

3. Sewing sheets in the Middle Ages (Tacuinum . mid-15 th c.), © BNF

4. Dyer’s neighbourhood (Fez, Morocco)

5. Wool, dyed using vegetable dyes (France)

6. Samples of indigo-dyed materials

7. Henna tattoo