Woad
Pastel des teinturiers
Woad was one of 3 staples of European dyeing industry
along with weld (yellow) and madder (red).
It was the dominant blue dye until trade routes opened
to India, bringing indigo which gradually replaced woad as the preferred dye in
Europe. With the development of a
chemical process to synthesize blue pigment, both the woad and natural indigo
industries collapsed in the early 20th century.
The dye in woad is extracted from crushing young leaves,
adding water and alkali to obtain a high pH, resulting in a greenish dye that
turns blue when dipped cloth is exposed to air.
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Form, in a field above Lacoste, 5.13.13
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| Leaf, 5.13.13 |
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| Bloom, 5.13.13 |
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Amédée Masclef, woad plant life cycle illustration, 1891
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