Red Indian with War Paint

With our modern eyes we can hardly imagine a time when color was scarce, rare or precious. Those who work in the design industry or in art know that certain color families cost more because of the price of the ingredients used to make them. Cadmium yellow and red are more pricey because of the inclusion of the element cadmium. But imagine entering a shop and choosing between the grey coat for $10, the blue coat for $30 or the red coat for $300 with the only difference being the color. This was the economic reality in Europe before the introduction of synthetic dyes. Color was an indicator of wealth and status and for a very simple reason: cost.

Swashbuckling, piracy, Imperial conquest and colonial revolt. Sounds like an adventure film plot, right? This is the story of the color RED. In a wonderful new book A Perfect Red, Amy Butler Greenfield explores the history of the color red, one of the most elusive of all the natural dyes, and the impact the discovery of cochineal in the New World had on the old.

Red, the true bold, luscious red we imagine as Chanel lipstick or fire engines, was at one time one of the most expensive colors on earth. Reds from vegetable dyes are not light stable and quickly fade to a brownish orange. There is a small sea snail called a murex whose body produces a color ranging from purple to red, but it takes 10,000 snails to dye a pound of wool. But when the Spanish came to the New World, one of the greatest treasures they brought back was not gold, or silver or chocolate - but the small cochineal insect whose crushed body produces a brilliant and light fast red.

Ever heard of Carmine red which is deep and heavy, like red velvet on an evening gown? Carmine or carminic acid comes from the bodies of cochineal. And it is edible! The reason Hi-C and Kool-Aid are called bug juice is that they are colored with carmine, or crushed cochineal. (And don't think you can escape it by eating only "natural foods" carmine is also what gives the color to store-bought ruby red grapefruit juice.)

Whether you are interested in the color, world history or the history of trades, A Perfect Red is a great read.

Red Beads