Natural Colorants versus Synthetic colorants

摘要

Coloration - an ancient art - predates written records. It was practised during the ancient times all over the world. Early coloration processes included sticking plants to fabric or rubbing crushed pigments into cloth. The methods became more sophisticated over time and techniques were developed using natural dyes from crushed fruits, berries and other plants, which were boiled into the fabric and gave light and water fastness. Some dyes, such as Tynan purple obtained from shellfish, were so rare that only emperors and kings could afford to wear purple - hence the term "royal purple."