Description (English)

This box contains twenty different dyes in corked test tubes. The tubes are named with the dyes’ chemical brand names like Tartrazin, Methylenblau and Aminoalizarin. A page of text goes with the dye samples. This contains samples of yarn dyed with the same dyes. The yarn has bright and well-preserved colours. The texts in the paper examine each dye by explanation of production and content, also by structure formulae and models. The dyes in the box are from the wide range of early synthetic dyes. The alizarin group was synthetically manufactured in the 1860s by William Perkin, and German chemical plant started production of these dyes from about the same time. Norwegian textile industry bought dyes from BASF (Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik) and the other German producers. In addition to the synthetic dyes there are two samples of natural indigo colour in Collett’s box. This was the last dye to be replaced by synthetics. The text in the paper about indigo has no formulas or equations explaining its chemical makeup or production.