A compendium of selected papers, presented at the series of conferences on Dyes in History and Archaeology, which show the great diversity of dyeing processes and techniques used over time and in different parts of the world

The papers in this volume were presented at the 33rd and 34th meetings of the Dyes in History and Archaeology conferences and cover studies on a variety of dyed textiles and pigments. Topics include: historical dyeing practices in parts of Europe, Asia and Latin America; the analysis of the dye plant species for use as an indicator of the region where dying occurred; the application of multispectral imaging techniques and the chemical variability of aniline dyes and how the adoption of synthetic dyes affected 19th century fashion.

The latest volume in the series of conference proceedings of the Dyes in History and Archaeology group.

Interest in all aspects of dyestuffs has grown considerably since an informal meeting of researchers twenty years ago developed into the annual forum of Dyes in History and Archaeology. Collections of papers from the meetings, including this one, have been published under the same name. Analysis has revealed that the early 20th century clothing and textile designer, Mariano Fortuny, used natural dyes for his glorious silks and cottons. Natural indigo is still used in some parts of the world, but dyeing with it is harder, less pleasant work than is popularly supposed. Species of Coleus - one of which is the flame nettle, a popular houseplant in the West - are used as sources of red, blue, purple and green dyes in Papua New Guinea and other parts of Asia. Research into the history of dyestuffs covers many disciplines. Their chemistry is especially of fundamental interest: the development of synthetic dyes was a breakthrough for chemical technology and industrial processes. Analysis has enabled the identification of historical textiles dyestuffs and paintings pigments.