The Dye Woorkes:
Historic Dye Recipes
In my research into medieval and Renaissance dyeing and textile cleaning, several manuscripts were repeatedly referenced in secondary sources--but many of them, unfortunately, were in German, in Italian, or in English but unpublished. I have translated and transcribed several of these sources over the years, and hope to make future research into period dyeing practices easier by making my translations & transcriptions available to others.
The Dye Woorkes contains the various manuscripts & books that I have translated and transcribed for study, as well as Ciba reviews and other out-of-copyright works on period dyeing.
Handouts for Recreating Renaissance Red class
Handouts for Dyeing Classes at SCA 50 Year Celebration
Original Dye Books & Manuscripts
Dye Recipes from Leyden Papyrus X (c. 300 A.D.)
Dye Recipes from Stockholm Papyrus (c. 300-400 A.D.) aka Papyrus Graecus Holmiensis
Dye Recipes from the Mappae Clavicula (c. 850-900)
Dye Recipes from the Innsbruck Manuscript (c 1330)
Dye Recipes from the Segreti per Colori (15th c.)
The Allerley Mackel: A dyeing and textile cleaning manual from 1532
The Plictho of Gioanventura Rossetti (1548)
Dyeing & Cleaning recipes from the Secrets of Alexis of Piedmont (1580)
A Profitable Book of cleaning & dyeing recipes (1580/1605)
The Whole Art of Dyeing (1669/1705)
Ziegler's Little Dye Book (1677)
Artisan's recipe book for dyeing wool c. 1680, in german (with fibre swatches)
Die rechte und wahrhafte Färbe-Kunst (The right and true Art of Dyeing)
The Dyer's Assistant in the art of dying wool and woollen goods (1778/1800)
The Country Dyer's Assistant (1798)
The Domestic Dyer (1811)
The Family Dyer and Scourer (1831)
Dye Receipts from 300 Miscellaneous Receipts (1830-1860)
Home Fabric Dyes Mentioned in Confederate Newspapers (1860)
Dye Recipies from the Household Cyclopedia (1880)
Articles on Period Dyeing Practices
New! A Lytell Dye Book : Redactions & recreations of medieval & period dye recipes.
New! Images of Dyers and Dyeing Technology through History
Coppers, Kettles and Vats: Equipment in Early Dyehouses by Sidney Edelstein
Ciba 1: Medieval Dyeing
Ciba 9: Dyeing and Tanning in Classical Antiquity
Period Dyeing on the Web
An Example Book of various period orange fibers using Medieval European Dyeing Techniques and Sources
New! An Overview of Period Dyes by Kateryn Rous
Dyeing: history to 1600 by Anna Liese
Medieval Dyes of the Bayeux Tapestry
Medieval Dyestuffs
Colors, Dyestuffs, and Mordants of the Viking Age by Carolyn Priest-Dorman
A Brief History of Dyestuffs & Dyeing by Heather McCloy
What the Irish Wore: Dyes & Dyeing
Medieval Dyeing: Dyestuffs
Period Dyes and their Modern Color Equivalents.
Useful if you want to ensure your clothing colors are accurate, but don't have the resources to dye them yourself. A derivative page showing the dmc colors is Here.
Colours and Dyes for 14th and 15th Century Clothing
Tyrian Purple
Orchil, the Poor Person's Purple by Chris Laning
To Dye a Saffron Color: Experiements in dyeing an Irish Leine, by Kass McGann.
Medieval Textiles, issue 29. Articles on dyeing with weld, woad and madder
Color and Dyes in Medieval Rus
Madder Dyeing: Medieval Textiles
Dyes of Antiquity: Madder Root
Madder: A Most Medieval Dyestuff
Cold-dyeing Wool with Madder
Dyeing with Safflower
Lichen Purples
Dyeing with Indigo: A Natural Fermentation Vat
The recipe described here is authentic to the 16th century; dyeing blue with madder + bran + indigo + washing soda (or an alkaline substance) is described in the Profitable Book, c. 1580.
Books & Bibliographies on Period Dyes/Dyeing
You can find additional works on medieval & renaissance dyeing at:
Period Dyeing Supplies
Period Dyestuff Suppliers
Sources for many hard-to-find period dyestuffs.
The Natural Dyeing Index by Anna Liese
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