Dyeing and Its Culture

Abstract

Essentially dyeing consists in placing a textile material in an aqueous solution of a coloring matter. In other wards dyeing means an interaction between a polymer and a coloring matter. Dyeing has been practiced empirically for thousands of years. Dyed articles have been discovered in the tombs of the Pharohs. Various kinds of dyed fabrics, which consist of different materials, colors, and patterns originated from nature, climate, natural features, history, culture, religion, economy, and trade etc., are found in the world. In ancient times natural materials with color were used as coloring matters. In particular the natural color materials with violet color were very difficult to obtain from natural materials and thus very expensive. Therefore the violet color was used for exalted personages. In 1856 Perkin found a new synthetic dye, mauve, which is violet and belongs to a basic dye, in coal tar. From this point of time the history of synthetic dyes and industrial dyeing had started splendidly. In this article the long history and culture of dye and dyeing found in the various regions of the world are briefly introduced and the future of dyeing is mentioned. © 2007, The Society of Polymer Science, Japan. All rights reserved.