The history of dyeing

The second period saw almost complete replacement of natural dyes by synthetic dyes and the appearance of revolutionary new methods of dyeing. In this second period the very limited number of dyes previously available was increased greatly.

Thus commenced a new era in the dye manufacturing industry with great activity to produce better dyes. The result of all this effort is that today several thousand dyes can be made synthetically, but it is only those which are easy to apply and which give shades of satisfactory fastness that are manufactured regularly.

Few discoveries of great importance relating to dyeing were made in the fields of either dyestuffs or their application until William Henry Perkin, who was experimenting with the synthetics of quinine, had isolated a black tarry substance which contained a coloured precipitate. Further experiments produced the first coal tar dye Mauveine, an aniline dye. Although it was very expensive to produce, it gradually began to be used.