Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Notes on vegetable dyes

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Item
  • Louise Pitman, an expert on vegetable dyes, came to work at the John C. Campbell Folk School in 1928, and eventually became Director of Handicrafts. These notes were compiled and distributed by Louise Pitman, presumably for a class, most likely in the 1930s. The notes detail two categories of vegetable dyes: substantive dyes requiring no mordant and adjective dyes that require a mordant before dyeing begins. A list of mordants follows. Also outlined are which natural materials, such as bark, flowers, and lichen yield specific colors. The third page of notes is a bibliography for vegetable dyes and a list of resources on the subject.
Object
  • Louise Pitman, an expert on vegetable dyes, came to work at the John C. Campbell Folk School in 1928, and eventually became Director of Handicrafts. These notes were compiled and distributed by Louise Pitman, presumably for a class, most likely in the 1930s. The notes detail two categories of vegetable dyes: substantive dyes requiring no mordant and adjective dyes that require a mordant before dyeing begins. A list of mordants follows. Also outlined are which natural materials, such as bark, flowers, and lichen yield specific colors. The third page of notes is a bibliography for vegetable dyes and a list of resources on the subject.