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labricoleuseI just finished reading a book that is of potential interest to the dye enthusiasts among my readership.
A Perfect Red, by Amy Butler Greenfield, takes as its subject a history of trends in red fabric dyeing, focusing primarily on cochineal. Greenfield traces the changing implications and significance of the color red in dress and adornment, discusses the history of the dyer's profession, and explores the effects of technological developments over time on the dye process. She also places cochineal, the primary source of brilliant red dyes for centuries, in a historical and cultural context, following it from Aztec and Mixtec culture through the Spanish Conquest, the advent of synthetic dyes, to its current minor resurgence. The book talks about dyestuff and red clothing's relevance to the rise and fall of European imperialist expansion and its significance in the cutthroat espionage of the time. I found it to be a fairly quick and interesting read, perhaps of particular fascination for those with an interest or career in dyeing.
A Perfect Red, by Amy Butler Greenfield, takes as its subject a history of trends in red fabric dyeing, focusing primarily on cochineal. Greenfield traces the changing implications and significance of the color red in dress and adornment, discusses the history of the dyer's profession, and explores the effects of technological developments over time on the dye process. She also places cochineal, the primary source of brilliant red dyes for centuries, in a historical and cultural context, following it from Aztec and Mixtec culture through the Spanish Conquest, the advent of synthetic dyes, to its current minor resurgence. The book talks about dyestuff and red clothing's relevance to the rise and fall of European imperialist expansion and its significance in the cutthroat espionage of the time. I found it to be a fairly quick and interesting read, perhaps of particular fascination for those with an interest or career in dyeing.
