The Identification of Dyes in Archaeological and Ethnographic Textiles

Abstract

Solution spectrophotometry in the visible and ultraviolet can be used to determine the nature of dyes used to color textiles of archaeological or historical importance. The curves obtained are compared with those from solutions of known materials. The method requires dyeings made with known natural dyes from the region of interest. Collections of such materials have been obtained from Peru. The principle red dyes of Peru can be identified by means of a single solution curve. Blue, from indigo, can easily be distinguished from the purple dibromoindigo obtained from marine molluscs. Yellow dyes are more difficult to identify and require, in most cases, curves in more than one solvent.

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