Referring to those red fox-hunting jackets as "pinks" raises the additional 
question of just what the British historically meant when they called something 
"pink."
--Ruth Anne Baumgartner
scholar gypsy and amateur costumer

-----Original Message-----
>From: Suzi Clarke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Feb 21, 2006 11:39 AM
>To: Historical Costume <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Re: Perception of color, Re: [h-cost] Princess Elizabeth
>
>At 16:01 21/02/2006, you wrote:
>>Fabric dyes vary in their resistance to color 
>>change.  Some dyes change color, some just fade, 
>>some do both.  It also depends upon the fabric 
>>itself; in my experience cottons and linens tend 
>>to hold their colors better than silks.  Wools 
>>have held their colors well.  I had some acetate 
>>plaid taffeta that changed color while stored in 
>>a dark closet under fairly constant climatic 
>>conditions.  So synthetics, in my experience, 
>>have the worst survival characteristics.
>>
>>Pigments for painting are generally minerals, so 
>>the colors have a better chance to survive 
>>intact, although where some organic pigments are 
>>used, they can fade/change just like 
>>fabric.  There are some minerals that do change 
>>color due to chemical reactions with air, though 
>>modern analytic techniques can determine what 
>>the original mineral was and restore the proper 
>>color.  The usual reason for color changes in 
>>portraits are the accumulation of dust, soot, 
>>etc., on the surface and earlier attempts to 
>>protect the painting with varnish, which often darkens with age.
>
>According to QEWU "The deep pink gown is 
>fashionably cut and the material is described in 
>the records of Edward Vl's collection of pictures 
>"....the ladye Elizabeth her grace with a booke 
>in her hande her gowne like crymsen clothe of 
>golde with workes". Just o confuse matters you 
>understand. When I was at college we went to see 
>the portraits at Windsor, and this was always 
>referred to as the "Pink Princess", which tends 
>to make me think that we all "saw" it as a pink dress.
>
>Suzi
>
>>>Hi,
>>>Ah yes, and the purple wheelfarthingale dress i 
>>>made for Castle Selsø has turned brownish grey :-)
>>>Anyway it was a dupioni silk, and they dont 
>>>hold their colours very long. Dress was exhibited in a room with morning sun.
>>>
>>>Bjarne
>>>
>>>
>>>>Re the perception of color in these portraits:
>>>>For you who do dyeing (Natural or otherwise) did the color of dyed textiles
>>>>of the past change because of exposure to sunlight or was there some
>>>>chemical element that was not always stable and would mute or even mutate
>>>>over a period of time.  In the present world, I have seen color changes on
>>>>bolts and even garments that have never seen the light of day go entirely
>>>>from one color to another.
>>>>For instance, there is a certain grey from the middle of the 20th C, that
>>>>seems to change to pink within a 40 yr. span.  My daughter"s pale blue
>>>>taffeta promgown from the 1990s is now a sort of interesting pale rose.  I
>>>>have a bolt of rayon velvet from the'70s that is presently an interesting
>>>>shade of lavender.
>>>>
>>>>In reference to these portraits under discussion, might the colors on the
>>>>canvas have changed, or the garments themselves have been 'changeable'?
>>>>
>>>>kathleen
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Misremembering happens to all of us! <g> Seriously, though, it could be
>>>>two
>>>>>different copies--I know that some of the portraits of Elizabeth I (as
>>>>>queen) and her sister, Mary, were done multipe times--there's that great
>>>>>chapter in QEUnlocked that talks about them.  So it could be that,
>>>>>especially since so many of our details are similar.  And maybe it
>>>>explains
>>>>>why some of the reproductions seem so pink and others more orange? I don't
>>>>>know about "yours"--we only had time for the National Gallery of Art
>>>>(which
>>>>>was on its last day of a Truly Cool Exhibit on Fabric in Portraits), and
>>>>>didn't make it over to the Portrait Gallery.  Well, maybe we could have,
>>>>if
>>>>>I hadn't been making a complete pig of myself in the bookstore. <weg>
>>>>>I've seen monochrome embroidery done in red in a couple of portraits in my
>>>>>books, and a little of it in the Textile Rooms at the V&A.  A friend of
>>>>mine
>>>>>says it's known as "morisco" work (spelling optional at this time of the
>>>>>evening ;o) I *think* I've got a copy of a painting of Mary I with red
>>>>>embroidery somewhere.  I *think.*  (sorry...bad case of chocolate cravings
>>>>>paired with knitting fatigue from the Knitting Olympics! LOL!)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> >
>>>>> > > When did you see it in the Portrait 
>>>>> Gallery? I was in England in > > 2002,
>>>>>and
>>>>> > > saw the painting at Windsor.  The dress was screaming pink, no orange
>>>>to
>>>>> > > it
>>>>> > > at all.
>>>>> > > The forepart and undersleeves are made of a gold pile/cream base "cut
>>>>>and
>>>>> > > voided" velvet, although I suspect that the pile, in this case, is
>>>>gold
>>>>> > > thread (looks distinctly metallic).
>>>>> > > --Sue, wondering if there are two of them out there....
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Hmmm...maybe I was mistaken.  I know I saw the Princess Mary Tudor
>>>>> > portrait while I was there.  I thought I saw the Elizabeth one, too.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > But seeing the Mary Tudor portrait in person was pretty cool because I
>>>>> > discovered that her chemise had redwork on 
>>>>> the cuffs!  I hadn't heard > of
>>>>> > redwork before then and the photos I had seen of the painting didn't
>>>>have
>>>>> > enough detail to show it.   Very cool!
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Diana
>>>>> >
>>>>> > www.RenaissanceFabrics.net
>>>>> > "Everything for the Costumer"
>>>>> >
>>>>> > "Become the change you want to see in the world."
>>>>> > --Ghandi
>
>
>
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