The document discusses the history of clothing colors and dyes from ancient times to the Victorian era. It describes how William Henry Perkin accidentally discovered the first synthetic dye, mauve, in 1856, which led to a wide variety of aniline dyes and changed fashion. These new synthetic dyes allowed colors like purple and bright green to become widely available. The document also examines how different cultures assigned meanings and messages to various colors over time.

1. HISTORY OF FASHION AND CLOTHING COLOURS AND DYES AND THE DETRIUS OF GAS WORKS –FROM THE MADONNA TO POISON GAS

2. Fakenham (Norfolk) A peculiar place to start

3. GASLIGHT: A WONDER OF VICTORIAN BRITAIN

4. WILLIAM HENRY PERKIN 1856

5. SOME THINGS ARE JUST A BLACK AND WHITE WORLD Filmgoers of the pre-colour era saw nothing peculiar in watching their favourites in Black and White. Early TV was the same.

6. War was Black and White Did the impact on early 20 th century viewers rival the impact that colour has today on us?

7. Colour has Changed our perspectives Would Vietnam in Black and White have the impact on us that monochrome film had on a previous generation?

8. PERKIN AND MAUVE Aniline Blue: Magenta: Solferino Yellow

9. Victorian Life Became a Blaze of Gaudy Colour with the display of the Crinoline Cage

10. That Crinoline

11. COLOUR IS NOT JUST DECORATION: IT COMMUNICATES ‘THINGS’ AND MESSAGES The Scarlet Woman: Scandalous behavior not to be allowed in civilized society. Don’t worry about the person as the colour says it all Dressed like a Meringue, And we think past fashion is silly?

12. DOES THIS WEDDING OUTFIT SAY ANTHING? A Bride in a black dress communicates a very different message to us at this time.

13. WHITE IS LATE VICTORIAN INNOCENCE AND PURITY

14. MID VICTORIAN PURITY After Perkin’s discovery. Women who married were assumed to be virtuous so had no need of a display of white. Victorian mourning stationery had black and silver edges to represent the purity of the unmarried. (Did marriage mean you were now not pure?)

15. HUGE COLOUR CODES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD (EYGYPT) RED chaos and disorder – colour of the desert. red ochre, was obtained from the desert. Destructive fire and fury, used to represent something dangerous .The colour of the god Seth, the traditional god of chaos, and was associated with death – the desert where people were exiled or sent to work in mines. BLUE the heavens, the dominion of the gods, as well as water, used for the hair of gods ( lapis lazuli, or the darkest of Egyptian blues) and for the face of the god Amun Green fresh growth, vegetation, new life, and resurrection, the colour of the 'Eye of Horus healing and protective powers, and so the colour also represented well-being. To do 'green things' was to do behave in a positive, life affirming manner. Black the colour of the life-giving silt left by the Nile the colour of Osiris the resurrected god of the dead, White , purity, sacredness, cleanliness..

16. Colour of Courtly Love Green when smitten but cannot declare White declared but had no answer Bright red an affirmative answer

17. BACK TO MORE RECENT TIMES Status in White (Veblen)

18. Crisp White as Authority (Colonial Starched White) Before the Germ Theory (Koch) medical men wore black clothes. It was Germs that turned doctors into shining God like figures. Nurses uniforms originated from maids

19. But we do trust Doctors Because of the Look?

20. Black is Dramatic and Professional Dressed Court in Burgundy Red and the Black as a sign of the wealth of his Kingdom Before Aniline Dye Black was very expensive and not colour fast. Would you want to be represented by a Lawyer or Accountant wearing a yellow suit?

21. After Aniline Dyes the Cult of Mourning

22. The Depth of Fashion Hell Black Ascot Races of 1910. Death of Edward VII and half of European Monarchy.

23. Vivienne Lee & Follower Blanche & The Red Kimono Red is passion and heat, strength and vitality. Sexual passion: Scarlet woman, Scarlet letter, Red Blooded, Red Lipstick.

24. A Really Bad Sign That Hair Colour Allegory of Virtue and Vice (Hercules) Paolo Veronese (1580)

25. Judas and that Hair Judas widely shown as having red hair and this struck by the devil. Particularly in German. (Isgarot) rot = red Pigments fade to red. Organic red from insects so very expensive. Cochineal 70,000 insects made 454 kg of Dye Poor red from Madder

26. Red was Power in Portrait Henry in full Majesty Gold is wealth Grey is truth and Constance Red is Power

27. RED is force and power and change. (‘Miniature’ from Minium-Italian for Red Lead- used to paint book of hours)

28. Pink is Feminine Or is it? Or was it? Victorian romantic Valentines in Pink, nasty cards in Red.

29. Blue for a Girl: Pink for a Boy

30. Meanings Do Change Around 1780 Duchess of Athol and her Children

31. But this Pink is New and Feminine

32. COLOURS WERE SO IMPORTANT The Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4: 1-42) Bernat Martorell (1445-1452) Note Yellow Dress

33. That Guy Again Judas in his yellow cloak Yellow Cowardice. Leprosy, Outcasts, Whores. On Victorian prints denoted jealousy

34. Blamed for Everything (Particularly when Striped) Tights on men especially striped with yellow blamed for the Black Death ‘ Barred’ Friars (Carmelites) Jesters and Traveling Fair people were outside society.

35. Dangers of Yellow, Red and Green Medieval thought was not that colours were part of white light. Colours were apart and had value. Yellow the colour of covetousness, hunger, death and cowardice. Yellow worn by ‘outsiders’

36. A BAD SIGN To wear yellow was also a statement against others. Also close to gold in tint. Yellow eyes the sign of cruelty 4 th Lateran Council (1215) made it compulsory for Jews to be marked with a yellow badge. Also adulterous women and executioners

37. STRIPES JUST COMPOUND THE SITUATION Green and Yellow denote folly, people with no power or reason. Yellow and red stripes meld to orange which is only one step from red.

38. A King Painted as Only a King Could be! Charles V Spain 1532 TITIAN Gold and Silver used for Princes and Very Powerful Patrons.

39. Religious Images Required the Most Expensive Dyes and Tints The Wilton Diptych, depicting Richard II being presented by three saints to the Virgin and Child 1377-99 Personal alter piece for the King

40. The Madonna A Study in Gold and Lapis Blue (Ultra Marine) In Dutch paintings she is Red as the most expensive tint they made (Van Eyk 1436)

41. Blue is the Colour Most of us are Winters Colour of Harmony, honesty, faith and true love. As black tents to blue it becomes more honest and hard working.

42. Imperial Purple and Tallit Dye from Shellfish. Banned to the mass of the population. TORAH: And they shall put upon the fringe of the corner a thread of Tachaylet (Purple Dyed Wool) Irony is that this was Perkin’s first colour which changed the whole significance of the colour.

43. Arnolfini Wedding (Van Eyk) 1434 And she is not pregnant – it is the fashion of the day A Mass of coded social signals. Green and earth and fertility colour. Self respect and well being Also the colour of Mohmmed.

44. Jack in the Green Pagan Fertility (Green Giant?) Renewal and fertility But also changing nature of seasons and fickleness of chance

45. A Good Story When it rained Robin would have had green legs. Will Scarlet would have to be very rich to wear that colour Poor people wore white or washed out browns and blues from woad.

46. But Brown got Waylaid Fertility colour made from Alum and Elderberry wine dregs Brown shirts not SS (Black) They were the Nazi Party

47. COLONIES (Logwood)

48. COLONIES (Indigo)

49. JET BLACK

50. Aspirin: Saccharin: Photo Film: Dyes: Fertilizer

51. AND TWO VITAL PRODUCTS FOR WWI WAR EFFORT

52. Perkin’s Work at a Zenith Perkin’s Work in Dismay All Part of the Same Dyestuff Chemistry Fritz Haber: humanitarian to architect of death I.G.Farben

53. Another Set of Colours with Meanings

54. HISTORY OF FASHION AND CLOTHING COLOURS AND DYES AND THE DETRIUS OF GAS WORKS –FROM THE MADONNA TO POISON GAS