Cochineal and the Insect Dyes
Ormond Beach, FL: Frederick H. Gerber, 1978. Very Good. Item #14479
ISBN: 0960181431
Ormond Beach, FL: Frederick H. Gerber, 1978. First Edition. Octavo; publisher's red pictorial staple bound card wrappers; viii,70pp.; illus. throughout, sample card with mounted wool swatch depicting thirty-four (34) dye samples laid in. Light wear from handling, wrapper a shade toned along spine edge, minor toning to leaf opposite laid-in swatch, else Very Good and sound.
Detailed study of the use of the scale insect Dactylopius coccus in the production of natural dyes, a practice first introduced as early as 1400 B.C. in the production of carmine. Chapters cover a wide swathe of subjects, from the history of the dye process and specific colors, to the science behind the process, and concludes with a bibliography of texts devoted to the process. The wool sample depicts the colors obtained using various chemical interferences, such as tin, acid, and alum, which give the dyes a range of colors from faded lilac to vibrant scarlet, deep crimson to denim blue. Just don’t think about where the dye came from in your red velvet cupcake.
Price: $100.00