Praxis and Paradox: The Culture of Natural Dyes in Britain, 1750–1900

Abstract

This article offers an analysis of natural dyes as a means to explicate inherent paradoxes within the subject. One is that natural dyes are not entirely “natural.” The reverse is actually the case, for natural dyes were often added to chemical colors by nineteenth-century industrial dyers. Another paradox is the blurred distinction between natural and chemical dyes which are actually not separate but aligned technologies. Furthermore, textile historians have long regarded dyeing as a stage in finishing, which is neither appropriate nor accurate. This article presents a revised concept of the cultural and technological characteristics of both categories of dyes, a reassessment that engages persistent myths as it also interrogates aspects of gender and production.