| Madder Red-A Revolutionary Colour by Anthony S. Travis |
ColorantsHistory.Org
Anthony S. Travis, "Madder Red-A Revolutionary Colour", Chemistry & Industry, January 3, 1994, p. 28. This reproduction used with
permission of Chemistry & Industry.
A couple of seasons ago one of the most popular fashion colours in Europe was Madder Red. Few must have known, however, about
the fascinating origin of this name. Certainly it had nothing to do with demented colour chemists, fashion designers, mad hatters, or, for
that matter, historians of chemistry! It was in fact one of the most important textile colorants used in the Industrial Revolution. It was
also, in the form of Turkey or Adrianople Red, a triumph of Islamic technology.
Three centuries ago, Europeans considered Turkey Red to be one of the great wonders of the Orient. This brilliant and fiery colour
applied to cotton was much admired for its durability and fastness. The birthplace of Turkey Red was the Near East, from whence it had
travelled to India. The dyestuff was obtained from the root of the madder plant. The processes of applying the colour were known to be
'numerous and tedious operations' and were also harsh, which meant that only the best quality cotton could be used.
Despite tremendous efforts, Turkey Red dyeing could not be mastered to any extent in Western Europe, even after Greek dyers were
brought to France, and some European dyers sent spies to the Levant. Around 1745 Greek dyers based in Marseille introduced a
version of the colour, and their process was taken up in Rouen. In 1756 Levantine dyers were brought to Saint Chamond in the Loire
region, and it was not long before details of their processes were carried to Lyon.
However, these early attempts to introduce Turkey Red dyeing into France were not commercial successes. One reason was
controversy over the necessity of some of the many steps. Another was the great difficulty experienced in dyeing the vegetable fibre
(cotton).
A viable process was eventually introduced into France around 1776 by a group of dyers from Adrianople who built a factory near Rouen.
Details leaked out, and other factories were opened nearby; this established the industry in Normandy. Soon after, successful Turkey
Red dyeing could also be found in southern France. When the Greek dyers of Rouen were dismissed during the 1789 French
Revolution they immediately carried the process north to Alsace. Turkey Red dyeing was also taken up in Switzerland, Germany and the
Austrian empire.
The British had made great efforts to transfer the technology across tire English Channel from around 1770. Louis Borelle arrived in
England from France during 1781 to promote. Turkey Red dyeing, and was in Manchester during 1784-85. The UK government paid
Borelle and his brother £2500 to expose the secrets for the benefit of British industry, but the process could not be mastered. Pierre
Jacques Papillon, a dyer from Rouen, tailed to interest Mancunians in his Turkey Red process during 1785, and went off to Glasgow
where Macintosh & Dale invited him to undertake trials in their factory. These led to the first production of Turkey Red fabrics in Britain.
Successful Turkey Red dyeing was introduced in Manchester by Angel Delaunay and others who arrived from Rouen. In 1786, a
commission from the Chambre de Commerce de Normandie observed about 20 works in operation in and around Manchester. At first,
the Europeans could dye only the unwoven yarn successfully. Details of the cloth-dyeing process as practiced in the Near East reached
Britain via Russia. Machine-produced threads, the first major outcome of the Industrial Revolution, provided the basis of stronger fabrics
that were better suited to Turkey Red.
In 1818, an improved Turkey Red process was introduced near Accrington, Lancashire, by Frederick Steiner, an immigrant from Alsace.
By this time the European manufacturers had also mastered the art of producing patterned effects with Turkey Red, employing resist
dyeing and, later, discharge processes. The Madder Style was particularly important, using the fact that the colour of the madder dye
was dependent on the nature of the mordant. William Stirling introduced Turkey Red to the Vale of Leven in southwest Scotland in 1828.
A few years later Turkey Red dyeing was practiced on a large scale in Holland.
The Turkey Red process was investigated by both chemists and colourists. Aluminium compounds, especially alum, were found to be
the effective mordants. The original processes involved pretreatment with oil and dung, after which the yarn was immersed into a
solution of nutgalls, and then into a solution of alum. It was then boiled in a dye bath containing the root of the madder plant. When the
dyeing was complete the yarn was boiled again in soap solution, the clearing or brightening step. Many steps used in the traditional
practices were found to be superfluous, although only in later years was it established that six were required (oiling, mordanting, fixing,
dyeing, steaming and clearing) rather than the 16 to 20 steps previously employed.
From 1869, the use of madder began to decline because the principal dye in the root of the plant, alizarin, became available from British
and German chemical factories. The Near Eastern origins, however, were not forgotten when, in 1898, a consortium of Scottish dyers
formed the United Turkey Red Co Ltd.
Tony Travis is deputy director of the Sidney M Edelstein Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. ColorantsHistory.Org
thanks the author for contributing this article.
Turkey Red Dyeing in Blackley: The Delaunay Dyeworks
permission of Chemistry & Industry.
A couple of seasons ago one of the most popular fashion colours in Europe was Madder Red. Few must have known, however, about
the fascinating origin of this name. Certainly it had nothing to do with demented colour chemists, fashion designers, mad hatters, or, for
that matter, historians of chemistry! It was in fact one of the most important textile colorants used in the Industrial Revolution. It was
also, in the form of Turkey or Adrianople Red, a triumph of Islamic technology.
Three centuries ago, Europeans considered Turkey Red to be one of the great wonders of the Orient. This brilliant and fiery colour
applied to cotton was much admired for its durability and fastness. The birthplace of Turkey Red was the Near East, from whence it had
travelled to India. The dyestuff was obtained from the root of the madder plant. The processes of applying the colour were known to be
'numerous and tedious operations' and were also harsh, which meant that only the best quality cotton could be used.
Despite tremendous efforts, Turkey Red dyeing could not be mastered to any extent in Western Europe, even after Greek dyers were
brought to France, and some European dyers sent spies to the Levant. Around 1745 Greek dyers based in Marseille introduced a
version of the colour, and their process was taken up in Rouen. In 1756 Levantine dyers were brought to Saint Chamond in the Loire
region, and it was not long before details of their processes were carried to Lyon.
However, these early attempts to introduce Turkey Red dyeing into France were not commercial successes. One reason was
controversy over the necessity of some of the many steps. Another was the great difficulty experienced in dyeing the vegetable fibre
(cotton).
A viable process was eventually introduced into France around 1776 by a group of dyers from Adrianople who built a factory near Rouen.
Details leaked out, and other factories were opened nearby; this established the industry in Normandy. Soon after, successful Turkey
Red dyeing could also be found in southern France. When the Greek dyers of Rouen were dismissed during the 1789 French
Revolution they immediately carried the process north to Alsace. Turkey Red dyeing was also taken up in Switzerland, Germany and the
Austrian empire.
The British had made great efforts to transfer the technology across tire English Channel from around 1770. Louis Borelle arrived in
England from France during 1781 to promote. Turkey Red dyeing, and was in Manchester during 1784-85. The UK government paid
Borelle and his brother £2500 to expose the secrets for the benefit of British industry, but the process could not be mastered. Pierre
Jacques Papillon, a dyer from Rouen, tailed to interest Mancunians in his Turkey Red process during 1785, and went off to Glasgow
where Macintosh & Dale invited him to undertake trials in their factory. These led to the first production of Turkey Red fabrics in Britain.
Successful Turkey Red dyeing was introduced in Manchester by Angel Delaunay and others who arrived from Rouen. In 1786, a
commission from the Chambre de Commerce de Normandie observed about 20 works in operation in and around Manchester. At first,
the Europeans could dye only the unwoven yarn successfully. Details of the cloth-dyeing process as practiced in the Near East reached
Britain via Russia. Machine-produced threads, the first major outcome of the Industrial Revolution, provided the basis of stronger fabrics
that were better suited to Turkey Red.
In 1818, an improved Turkey Red process was introduced near Accrington, Lancashire, by Frederick Steiner, an immigrant from Alsace.
By this time the European manufacturers had also mastered the art of producing patterned effects with Turkey Red, employing resist
dyeing and, later, discharge processes. The Madder Style was particularly important, using the fact that the colour of the madder dye
was dependent on the nature of the mordant. William Stirling introduced Turkey Red to the Vale of Leven in southwest Scotland in 1828.
A few years later Turkey Red dyeing was practiced on a large scale in Holland.
The Turkey Red process was investigated by both chemists and colourists. Aluminium compounds, especially alum, were found to be
the effective mordants. The original processes involved pretreatment with oil and dung, after which the yarn was immersed into a
solution of nutgalls, and then into a solution of alum. It was then boiled in a dye bath containing the root of the madder plant. When the
dyeing was complete the yarn was boiled again in soap solution, the clearing or brightening step. Many steps used in the traditional
practices were found to be superfluous, although only in later years was it established that six were required (oiling, mordanting, fixing,
dyeing, steaming and clearing) rather than the 16 to 20 steps previously employed.
From 1869, the use of madder began to decline because the principal dye in the root of the plant, alizarin, became available from British
and German chemical factories. The Near Eastern origins, however, were not forgotten when, in 1898, a consortium of Scottish dyers
formed the United Turkey Red Co Ltd.
Tony Travis is deputy director of the Sidney M Edelstein Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. ColorantsHistory.Org
thanks the author for contributing this article.
Turkey Red Dyeing in Blackley: The Delaunay Dyeworks
An advert for Turkey Red, 1788. Click Image to Enlarge.
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