fogie
A Fixture
In this hobby we are a bit fixated with colour - so many of us have sought to buy paint of a certain shade
or tint that purports to, or at least we believe will, reproduce an authentic version of the very colour we
need. I have no idea why we should do this, for before the 1860's and the advent of chemical annaline
dyes, textiles were coloured with dyes produced from plants ( with sometimes an additional pinch of
minerals like zinc or iron ), and the resultant colours were often only half the value of today's modern
equivalents. So...what makes us think that a modern paint made, in all likelihood, with synthetic pigments,
could possibly match cloth that was originally dyed many decades or indeed centuries ago, by a wholly
different organic process ?
Of course we can point to fabulously ornate and richly coloured clothing still preserved in any number
of museums, but these were garments made for, and worn by, only the very wealthiest in society who
could afford such things. The rest - the social strata in which our interest tends to inhabit - wore more
humble garments, and their's was a less colourful and plainer world. When we go further back in history
those differences become more marked.
At the moment I happen to be working on a medieval highlander - so I"ll use him, if I may, as an example.
Around the time of, say, Bannockburn, textiles were commonly woven from wool, flax, hemp, or even
nettles. Hanks of spun yarn of this material were immersed for several days in stale urine - the mordant
of choice that made the yarn more receptive to the chosen dye ( As this was usually a family affair. a wife
or child would routinely step into the vat and paddle up and down to ensure a good soak, often adding
to the contents as they worked...I mean...Yuk ! ...or what ? ). The yarn was then rinsed and submerged
in pots of boiling dye, constantly stirred until the required colour was reached. The dye itself, gathered
from seasonal local plants was boiled down to create a concentration ( different plants and combinations
created different colours - Gorse Bark and Cow weed, for example, produced a sort of mid green ).The
yarn was rinsed and dried, and eventually woven into cloth on a simple tablet loom - again usually by
a wife (...as if she had nothing else to do).
The pictures - showing a generic tartan that's not particularly relevant to my current project - indicate some
comparisons. The first shows a modern version of the tartan available today, the second another modern
version but this time an 'ancient' variation of the same thing. The final picture shows fairly accurately how
the tartan might have been rendered in medieval times.
In the end, as always, it's down to us - we look at the options and make our colour choice accordingly.
Mike
or tint that purports to, or at least we believe will, reproduce an authentic version of the very colour we
need. I have no idea why we should do this, for before the 1860's and the advent of chemical annaline
dyes, textiles were coloured with dyes produced from plants ( with sometimes an additional pinch of
minerals like zinc or iron ), and the resultant colours were often only half the value of today's modern
equivalents. So...what makes us think that a modern paint made, in all likelihood, with synthetic pigments,
could possibly match cloth that was originally dyed many decades or indeed centuries ago, by a wholly
different organic process ?
Of course we can point to fabulously ornate and richly coloured clothing still preserved in any number
of museums, but these were garments made for, and worn by, only the very wealthiest in society who
could afford such things. The rest - the social strata in which our interest tends to inhabit - wore more
humble garments, and their's was a less colourful and plainer world. When we go further back in history
those differences become more marked.
At the moment I happen to be working on a medieval highlander - so I"ll use him, if I may, as an example.
Around the time of, say, Bannockburn, textiles were commonly woven from wool, flax, hemp, or even
nettles. Hanks of spun yarn of this material were immersed for several days in stale urine - the mordant
of choice that made the yarn more receptive to the chosen dye ( As this was usually a family affair. a wife
or child would routinely step into the vat and paddle up and down to ensure a good soak, often adding
to the contents as they worked...I mean...Yuk ! ...or what ? ). The yarn was then rinsed and submerged
in pots of boiling dye, constantly stirred until the required colour was reached. The dye itself, gathered
from seasonal local plants was boiled down to create a concentration ( different plants and combinations
created different colours - Gorse Bark and Cow weed, for example, produced a sort of mid green ).The
yarn was rinsed and dried, and eventually woven into cloth on a simple tablet loom - again usually by
a wife (...as if she had nothing else to do).
The pictures - showing a generic tartan that's not particularly relevant to my current project - indicate some
comparisons. The first shows a modern version of the tartan available today, the second another modern
version but this time an 'ancient' variation of the same thing. The final picture shows fairly accurately how
the tartan might have been rendered in medieval times.
In the end, as always, it's down to us - we look at the options and make our colour choice accordingly.
Mike
