Unfolding - Part 3

When I think of the physical manifestation of purple, I envision plants—fragrant herbs such as lavender and deeply pigmented flowers such as the morning glory. However, when I consider symbols or words associated with purple, my mind instantly goes to royalty and power. While this personal connection exists due to the various art history classes I've taken, I never paid any mind to the reason why purple is linked to royalty, or more broadly, social class. In this Unfolding story, I take a brief look into purple and its connection to textiles, nature, and social class through the lens of quilts and fabrics.

As we explore purple in the context of quilts, I invite you to focus on natural purple dyes made from plants, such as madder and logwood, and animals like cochineal and the murex [sea] snail.

My Quilt Research Fellow position is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Logwood, scientifically known as Haematoxylum campechianum, is a natural dyestuff yielding purple and blue colors. The term Haematoxylum comes from the combination of two Greek words, haima, meaning “blood,” and xylon, meaning “wood,” a term that becomes much more fascinating when you discover that logwood’s dyestuff is extracted from heartwood (the dead, most central wood in trees). While both madder and logwood produce purple, it should be noted that logwood was, at times, added to madder dye vats as an enhancer. Susan W. Green, author of Wearable Prints, 1760-1860, upon the review of various dyers’ manuals, notes that purple colors from logwood were easier to produce than purples offered by madder.

Logwood, native to Mexico, is a plant which became known across Europe after Spanish colonization in the 1500s. However, it wasn't until about the 17th century that it gained popularity as a dye source. It was then that the plant would start to be exported; due to its value as a cash crop, it was introduced in some parts of the Caribbean where it would be cultivated and harvested by slaves on plantations.

The quilts above are great examples of natural purple dyes. In this case, I believe these quilts utilize madder and logwood. Why, you ask? Do you notice the brown colors which are present alongside the purples? Some purples fade to brown, and the warm tone of these purples lead me to believe that they are madder and logwood dyes. Why are these fabrics fading in the first place? Some of the natural colorants listed in this short essay are fugitive, meaning that conditions such as light exposure, temperature, and humidity, could affect the intensity of colors or contribute to fading.

Cochineal originates from Mexico and South America. Similarly to the Logwood plant, its introduction to Europe came after the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. It is used not only in textiles and wall art, but also in cosmetics and food—going by the name carmine. Contrary to what people may think, the compound, known as carminic acid, is what gives off the red color, not blood. For the insect, this acid acts as a deterrent to predators. In Europe, historically, the red produced by this source was used amongst royalty to display power and status due to how difficult it was to find red dyes in the 16th and 17th century.

Also known as aniline dyes, these first synthetic dyes were toxic as they could cause cancer or sores on the skin due to their arsenic levels. The demand for purple was significant, and with the creation of a more accessible dye, came purple’s popularity—despite the toxic nature of the early synthetic dye.

While not the same, Tyrian purple reminds me of indigo—a valuable plant dye which produces deep and rich blue colors. While there are distinct differences between the dyes, such as the fact that Tyrian purple is derived from an animal and indigo from a plant, there are also many similarities between the two. For one, on a chemical level, the structures are very similar; therefore, they act in similar ways. Both indigo and Tyrian do not need mordants (chemicals used to bind dyes to fabric) to aid in their processing. Another similarity lies in the tedious and time-consuming labor necessary to produce both dyes, a reason why both colors may be used more frequently in the form of similar colored synthetics. There is much more to link between the two, but for now I hope this brief comparison entices you to learn more about indigo in Blue Gold!

After all that has been said, you may be left wondering, “How does this tie back to quilts?” Well, first, I chose to focus on purple due to the various instances of faded, once purple, fabric I've seen across the quilt collection. I find myself wanting to learn more about fabric and dyes, as these are essential elements in the making of quilts. It gives our textiles color, and fabrics can reflect trending designs and colors of the time. Understanding the way dyes change over time can allow one to visualize what a quilt may have looked like upon its initial creation. They help us understand how certain conditions may have impacted the textile. Recognizing a dye, or the way it has been used, can even help in dating a quilt—a feat which can aid researchers, such as myself, in narrowing their search for history and context. While we focused primarily on the brief details and history behind each dye, I hope that this essay gave context to some of the bigger stories which exist within quilts and their makings.