mation. Among the latter were volumes such as Mackenzie'' s five thousand re- 

 ceipts in all the useful and domestic arts, assembled by the Englishman Colin 

 Mackenzie and adapted for use in this country by "an American Physician." 

 This particular book went through numerous printings throughout the 19th 

 century. One edition, printed in 1831 in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, 

 provided many good ideas on the subject of coloring textiles. It seems 

 strange that such a volume, meant for the use of novices, often left so much 

 to the imagination and judgment of the dyer. For example, in explaining 

 the use of alum as a mordant the author states : 



Alum, to make a mordant, is dissolved in water, and very frequently, a quantity of 

 tartrate of potass is dissolved with it. Into this solution WOOLLEN cloth is put, and 

 kept in it till it has absorbed as much alumine as is necessary. It is then taken out, and 

 for the most part washed and dried. It is now a good deal heavier than it was before, 

 owing to the alum which has combined with it (p. 81). 



Important sources of information on raw materials used in 18th and 19th 

 century American dye houses are the manuals written by dyers and printed 

 in the United States between 1797 and 1869. Very few of these publica- 

 tions are the original works of Americans, since many were printed first 

 in England, while others are merely collections of recipes assembled from 

 earlier French, English, and German books. Frequently authors lifted 

 whole sections of earlier works without crediting the oiiginal sources. 

 When such volumes were printed in the United States, however, they 

 were sometimes adapted for American use, with plants found in America 

 added to the others. Even when no attempt was made to adapt recipes, 

 the fact that these books were printed and sold here suggests that the 

 foreign methods and dyes described were utilized by American dyers 

 and. clothiers. 



Other sources, more difficult to ferret out, are dyers' and apothecaries' 

 newspaper advertisements and patents. Dated apothecary advertisements 

 often revealed partial stocks of these shops, which usually included some 

 dye drugs and chemicals. Patents related to dyeing and dyestuff processing 

 are virtually untapped sources of information, particularly interesting 

 because they show the relationship between dyers and other craftsmen 

 of the period. 



Dyeing After 1850 



Perkin's discovery in 1856 of a lavender dye made from aniline, a coal-tar 

 product, marked the beginning of the end of the natural dyestuff era. It 

 created considerable excitement in England and soon became popular in 

 France, where the new color was known as mauve. "Queen Victoria wore 

 a mauve dress at the Great Exhibition of 1862, penny postage stamps were 



