Color of the Day - Cinnamon

Cinnamon, 1850 – Take half a pound of ground camwood, tie it in a thin bag, and put it into a brass or tin kettle with two gallons of soft water. Boil it a quarter of an hour. Then strain it, and put in the article, wet thoroughly in water. Dip it carefully, and repeat the dipping till it takes the colour completely. With the dye that is left, you may obtain different shades of brown by adding, in small quantities, more or less copperas; giving it another boil.
Miss Leslie’s Lady’s House-Book, 1850

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Mourning Advice in England: 1724

December 12th, 1724 …I will answer Mrs. Carter’s questions about her mourning to you. I think her in the right in buying a white satin to top her black, for the reasons she gives me; but that she can only wear as a nightgown {informal day dress}, and if she was in town she should wear only mourning when she is dressed {formally}, but in the country that will not be minded, white gloves, coloured fan and coloured shoes, and edgings if she pleases, and black or white short apron and girdle, which she likes best. My mama must not wear black handkerchiefs with her second year’s mourning.
The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mrs. Delany, 1882

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
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Color of the Day - Italian pink

Italian pink, 1835 – Dutch pink, English and Italian Pinks, are sufficiently absurd names of yellow colours prepared by dyeing, whitening, &c. with vegetal yellow tinctures, in the manner of rose pink, from which they borrow their name. They are bright yellow colours, extensively used in distemper and for paper-staining, and other ordinary purposes;
Chromatography, 1835

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
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Color of the Day - Verdegrease

Verdegrease, 1735 – grind it with the juice of rue and a little weak gum water, and you will have a moft pure green; if you would diaper with it grind it with lye of rue (or the decoction thereof) and it will make a hoary green. … It is a good Green, but fubject to decay; being dry upon paper, it will be of a higher colour than when firft laid on; …To dye a Verdegreafe-Green. Take water a fufficient quantity, make it as hot as you can endure your hand in it, in which put verdegreafe two ounces in fine powder;
Dictionarium Polygraphicum, 1735

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
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Color of the Day - Bois de rose

Bois de rose, 1874 – One of the newest colors is called bois de rose; it is made in three shades, which are constantly used in one costume. The lightest shade is an unhealthy salmon; the middle shade reminds us more of raspberry ice-cream than anything else; and the darker shade is a rich claret. These shades will, of course, not be worn for street dresses, but for carriage, dinner, or watering-place toilets.
Godey's Lady's Book, June 1874

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
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Color of the Day - Woad

Woad, 1667 – Woad is made of a Weed, fown upon ftrong new-broken Land, perfectly cleered from all ftones and weeds, cut feveral times by the top leaves, then ground, or rather chopt with a peculiar Mill for that purpofe; which being done feveral times, is made up in Balls and dryed in the Sun; the dryer the year is, the better the Woad. Englifh Woad is counted the ftrongeft, it is commonly tryed by ftaining of white Paper with it, or a white Limed wall, and if the Colour be a French-green it is good. … The making and ufing of Woad, is one of the moft myfterious, nice, and hazardous operations in Dying: It is one of the moft lafting Colours that is Dyed: An intenfe Woad Colour is almost black, that is to fay, of a Damfon-colour; this Colour is the foundation of fo many others in its degree, that the Dyers have a certain Scale, or number of Stalls, whereby to compute the lightnefs and deepneft of this Colour.
History of the Royal-Society of London, 1667

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
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Color of the Day - Eosine

Eosine – A new dye known under the name of Eosine has recently been added to the list of red dyes, …The word ‘Eosine’ signifies day-dawn, implying that the colour is that of the rosy hue of morning. On silk, the colour is that of the rose, but on wool it is scarlet.
Textile Colourist, November 1876

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com