A History of Dyes: from Ancient Egypt to modern times – Webinar

The SDC Webinar Series

Speaker; Dr. Christine Holdstock MRSC, CCol, ASDC, FSDC, FHEA – Colour Science Consultant.

Christine became involved in the area of colour when she joined the dyeing department of Wira (the Wool Industries Research Association) in Leeds. At Wira she undertook research into the control of the dyeing process, and was awarded a PhD from the University of Leeds. Christine was a member of the Department of Colour Chemistry and Dyeing (which became the Department of Colour Science) at the University of Leeds for over 20 years. She taught many aspects of Colour Science, including the history of coloration, human colour vision, colour measurement, dyes and dyeing. Christine was awarded the Society of Dyers and Colourist’s Silver medal and is also a Fellow of the SDC.

Dyes have been used since ancient times to colour fabrics, but in modern times are also employed for technical as well as aesthetic applications. This talk will highlight the most important natural dyes, including some that could only be worn by nobility; then look at the invention of synthetic dyes which led to brightly coloured fabrics becoming widely available. As well as for fashion, dyes today can be also designed for functional uses and some of these high-tech applications will be discussed. The webinar will be followed by a Q&A.

Recording date: Tuesday 23 June 2020