BOLD: Color from Test Tube to Textile

Abstract

Red can be the color of passion and danger, or luck and prosperity. Blue can be the shade of sadness—singing the blues—or a sign of tranquility and serenity. As the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky once affirmed, in his 1911 treatise Concerning the Spiritual in Art , “Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” Color is also culture: we’ve colored our environments, clothes, and bodies for thousands of years, since early humans applied simple organic stains derived from the plants around them. The art and science of dyeing is an ancient one; today it’s an economic and commercial powerhouse. The arrival of the first synthetic dyes in the 1850s—discovered by happenstance from experiments with coal tar waste—brought us a rainbow of new possibilities for fashion and textiles, from color “fads” and trends to new means for self-expression. But synthetic color’s dark side lingers in polluted waterways. A new exhibit at the museum of the Science History Institute explores these complex legacies. Bold: Color From Test Tube To Textile takes visitors on a colorful 150-year journey through the history of synthetic dyes, examining the people and places who’ve shaped our modern understanding of color—from the laboratory to the factory floor, from the runway to retail, and beyond.