*CHROME YELLOW (Lead chromate) 

 Also known as das Chromgelb (Ger.) 



Chrome yellow dye was probably introduced into America in the 1830s 

 after it became known in Europe. This mineral dye was fast when applied 

 to cotton; however, it was very fugitive to light, soap, and acids when 

 applied to wool. It was considered the best yellow cotton dye throughout the 

 second half of the 19th century and continued in use in the 20th century. 



The dyeing technique required two steps: First, successive steeping in 

 basic lead acetate, followed by squeezing off; and second, immersion in 

 potassium bichromate to develop the mineral color. By the latter step 

 insoluble lead chromate or chrome yellow was developed on the fiber. 



Chrome mordant (potassium bichromate) was first patented in 1840 by 

 a Leeds, England, cloth manufacturer (Fierz-David, 1953, p. 3633). After 

 its introduction to American dyers in the 1840s it became a staple mordant. 



DOCK {Rumex sp.) 



Also called Peterswort; patience (Fr.); der Ampfer (Ger.) 



Like smartweed, this member of the buckwheat family produced a yellow 

 dye commonly used by home dyers. Within the last one-hundred years a 

 variety of dock native to the American Southwest has also been used by 

 Navajo Indian weavers and dyers for coloring their rug and blanket yarns. 

 The roots and leaves of this plant aff'orded a yellow color that made a 

 "good duck's wing green" when combined with other dyestuff's. It is 

 mentioned in a number of late 18th and 19th century dye manuals. 



DYER'S BROOM {Genista tindoria) 



Also known as dyer's weed; greenweed; woodwax; woodwaxen; genestrolle (Fr.); der 

 Farberginster (Ger.) 



Dyer's broom is not indigenous to the United States; however, it could 

 have been cultivated here had there been a sufficient demand for it during 

 the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was imported ground and packed 

 in casks. The greenish- yellow color it imparted to woolens was fast ; because 

 its natural greenish cast combined so well with blue, it was frequently used 

 to top blues in green dyeing. An entry in a 17th-century English volume 

 mentioned it among the three yellows used in England at that time; the 

 other yellows were weld and old fustic (Sprat, 1667, p. 296). 



*GOLDENROD {Solidago species, mainly S. virgaurea) 



Also known as verge d'or (Fr.); die Goldrute (Ger.) and called S. canadensis by Hollberg 

 (1763, p. 5) and other early botanists 



Many professional dyers acknowledged the clarity and fastness of golden- 

 rod yellows, but for some unknown reason this native American plant was 

 used mainly by home dyers. Its abundance and reliable colors should have 

 made it popular with professionals, yet they paid comparatively little 

 attention to this excellent source of yellow. 



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