Dye colours

2007-10-11T22:52:24Z

218.110.39.61:

olozeld
A summary of each dye colour is provided below, with more detailed information available by folowing the link to that dye colour.

=== [[Black Dye]] ===
Black is not a simple colour to obtain in [[period]], especially early period - few things make true black dyes, and many black dyes are either not colourfast (fade quickly) or corrosive (eat through the [[fabric]]).

=== [[Blue Dye]] ===
[[Blue dye]] came from [[woad]], and later in period, also from [[indigo]]. A limited number of shades were possible. Early period - a fairly prized dye colour, later a colour for the middle class.

=== [[Brown Dye]] ===
This is a somewhat simpler colour to obtain in [[period]], and thus could be worn by the poor, for workday clothes and by [[monk]]s sworn to poverty.

=== [[Green Dye]] ===
Contrary to popular misconception, good green colours were hard to produce. Dull brownish or yellowish greens are cheap, but a good nice green fabric might cost more than a blue fabric.

=== [[Period Brown]] ===
I am told, that in [[period]] the colour formed by mixing [[red]] and [[blue]] (eg [[overdying]] [[madder]] with [[woad]]) was considered to be [[brown]], where in modern times we have a range of names for various shades: wine, maroon, etc.

=== [[Purple Dye]] ===
[[Purple dye]]s were much prized (and hence expensive) as few sources of purple were available. Range from redish purples to non-colourfast mauves and magenta colours.

=== [[Red Dye]] ===
Dark/dense reds were for the richer people (or at least the more expensive clothes of the poor), while pink (last from the dyepot) was a colour for cheaper [[fabric]]s (mostly).

=== [[Yellow Dye]] ===
Lots of dyes make period [[yellow]]s, not all of them were very colourfast, but even colourfast varieties grew well. A fairly cheap colour to produce.

[[category:colour]][[category:dyes]]

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Dye colours