process because of the hardness and fine grain of the woods. The same 

 basic dyeing technique, however, was still used for both dye groups. 



Camwood, barwood, and sanders were known but seldom used in 

 America before the 1 9th century. The British had used barwood for dark 

 red printed imitations of East Indian bandanas before 1814 (Bancroft, 1814, 

 vol. 2, p. 251), yet while it was fairly durable on wool, the color was not 

 permanent when applied to cotton. An American dyer of 1798 said that 

 this reddish-brown dyestuff was imported in casks and ground fine like 

 flour. The powder was far more convenient for the dyer than the stick form 

 which had to be chipped very fine and required much boiling, yet it too 

 had its drawbacks for, the same dyer continued, if the floury dye material 

 was agitated a hot dust would arise to irritate the nose and throat glands. 



Another dyer 40 years later expressed the opinion that camwood injured 

 the quality of (woolen) goods more than twice the value of the cost of 

 dyeing. This harmful effect on wool is not mentioned in later scientific dye 

 manuals. This raises the question of whether prolonged boiling or other 

 processing could have been more responsible for injuries to cloth than were 

 the dyestuff"' s harmful properties. 



Most dye manuals emphasize the distinctive characteristics of the three 

 woods grouped together here. The quality of the trees, care in packing 

 and shipping, and variations in dyeing methods and mordants, however, 

 probably influenced the color and degree of fastness obtained far more 

 than variations between camwood, barwood, and sanders woods. 



These woods continued in use until the early 20th century when they 

 were at last completely replaced by synthetic dyestuff"s. The latest appli- 

 cations of these woods were in combination with other dyes, producing 

 compound shades such as browns, and in giving a bottom to woolens 

 before indigo dyeing. 



ALKANET (Alkanna tinctoria or Anchusa tinctoria) 



Also known as alkanna, alkanea, orcanette, orcanete (Fr.) 



Englishmen who landed along the southeastern coast of America probably 

 found Alkanna tinctoria soon after they settled in their new homeland. 

 Another variety of this plant was cultivated in England and France where 

 it had been used as a dye for many years, thus it was undoubtedly quite 

 familiar to many early dyers. In America the dye was probably much 

 more important to the Indians than to European settlers who had access 

 to more stable red-coloring agents such as madder. Hollberg in 1763 

 mentioned Anchusa virginiana as the source of puccoon, a yellow dye 

 employed by the Indians for painting body designs. Since it is not found 

 in the United States, it may have been mistaken for the European plant. 

 Catesby and Ramsay gave the name puccoon to bloodroot {Sanguinaria 

 canadensis) which yields a yellowish-red dye used by the Indians. 



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