At 08:16 AM 7/25/2005, you wrote:
But I don't know when logwood came
to be used as a dye so the time frame you are talking about is important.
I was talking to a friend of mine about blue dyes, as I watched Troy and
just fell in love with the bright blues they used. Unfortunately, I've yet
to find out if that blue they used was a natural dye, or like most movie
costumes, modern cobalt blue dye.
Anyways, my friend sent me a number of links on dyeing, mostly about blue
or purpura dyes. Here is one of the links he sent that has a timeline of
when dyes were used by what countries. It's actually a quilter's site.
IMPORTANT DATES IN FABRIC HISTORY
http://threadsintyme.tripod.com/id63.htm
Here's the pertinent text on logwood:
1614 "Logwood" is developed from (species Haematoxylon campechianum), tree
of the pea family (Fabaceae), native to Central America and the West
Indies. The name is sometimes applied also to Condalia obovata, a tree of
the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) native to southwestern North America. H.
campechianum grows 9-15 m (30-50 feet) tall and has a short, crooked trunk.
The leaves are pinnately compound (feather-formed), with rather oval
leaflets. The small yellow flowers grow in a cluster from the leaf axil
(upper angle between branch and leaf stem). The wood is heavy and extremely
hard. A black dye, also called logwood, is obtained from the heartwood.
I see from this listing that Brazilwood is available earlier:
1321 The East Indies and India export Brazilwood. Later Brazilwood becomes
a source of dye for textiles. Brazilwood is a dense, compact dye wood from
any of various tropical trees whose extracts yield bright crimson and deep
purple colors.
In ancient and medieval times, the brazilwood imported to Europe from the
Middle East was Caesalpinia braziliensis ) and other species of
Caesalpinia. Caesalpinia echinata (called pau-brasil in Portuguese) is
indigenous to the Brazilian coast and played a role in the naming of that
country.
I only wish the site gave citation to where this timeline came from. But it
is very interesting to read.
Kimiko
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