On Tuesday 18 May 2021at 2pm our eleventh lockdown lecture will take place. Christine Holdstock will give a talk entitled “History of Dyes: from Ancient Egypt to Modern Times”. This will be presented on the RSC Zoom Platform at 2 pm. Please start to log on at 2 pm sharp (not earlier as was our previous practice).
Dyes have been used since ancient times to colour fabrics, but more recently dyes are also employed for technical as well as aesthetic applications. This talk will highlight the most important natural dyes, including some that could only be worn by nobility; then look at the invention of synthetic dyes which led to brightly coloured fabrics becoming widely available. As well as for fashion, dyes today can be also designed for functional uses and some of these high-tech applications will be mentioned.
Christine Holdstock, a Chemistry graduate from the University of Sheffield, became involved in the area of colour when she joined the Dyeing department of Wira (the Wool Industries Research Association) in Leeds. At Wira she undertook research into the control of the dyeing process, and was awarded a PhD from the University of Leeds. Christine was a member of the Department of Colour Chemistry and Dyeing (which became the Department of Colour Science) at the University of Leeds for over 20 years. She taught many aspects of Colour Science, including the history of coloration, human colour vision, colour measurement and dyeing. Christine was awarded the Society of Dyers and Colourist’s Silver medal in 2014. Having retired from the University in 2016 Christine is now a Colour Science Consultant.
Dyes have been used since ancient times to colour fabrics, but more recently dyes are also employed for technical as well as aesthetic applications. This talk will highlight the most important natural dyes, including some that could only be worn by nobility; then look at the invention of synthetic dyes which led to brightly coloured fabrics becoming widely available. As well as for fashion, dyes today can be also designed for functional uses and some of these high-tech applications will be mentioned.
Christine Holdstock, a Chemistry graduate from the University of Sheffield, became involved in the area of colour when she joined the Dyeing department of Wira (the Wool Industries Research Association) in Leeds. At Wira she undertook research into the control of the dyeing process, and was awarded a PhD from the University of Leeds. Christine was a member of the Department of Colour Chemistry and Dyeing (which became the Department of Colour Science) at the University of Leeds for over 20 years. She taught many aspects of Colour Science, including the history of coloration, human colour vision, colour measurement and dyeing. Christine was awarded the Society of Dyers and Colourist’s Silver medal in 2014. Having retired from the University in 2016 Christine is now a Colour Science Consultant.
