Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-06-05
The Tyrian Purple.

As the nymph Tyras was with the dog of her
lover, Hercules, she perceived that the animals
mouth was stained beautiful violet color from
the fish of she'll which he had broken on the
sea shore. And so beautiful did it appear to
her, that she declared to Hercules he should see
her no more until he had procured for her suit
dyed of that color. Then Hercules, moved by
love, collected an immense number of tn ose
shells, with which he dyed a robe for the nymph.
Such is the legend from the name of the nymph
so evidently metaphoricaD connected with the
discovery of the celebrated Tyrian dye.
The character of the ancient Tyrian purple
is greatly magnifed as we look at it through the
long telescope of history. Almost the only ac-
counts of the Tyran purple are handed down
10 us by Aristotle and Pliny, especially the latter
in whose time this dye had attained its great
est perfection. He describes it as having been
attained from two species of she'll fish, the Buc-
mum and the P,upwa. This dye was famous
a thousand years before the Christian era AS
many do not know that wool, silk and cotton will
not receive the same color from the same sub
stances, we would state that the Tyrian purple
was dyed in wool alone. 1t is stated by the his
torians named that the shell fish was bruised,
and the liquor obtained from them was left in
salt water III tin vessels, moderately hot for ten
days. In this liquor the wool was kept five
hours, then taken out and washed, and then i'm.
mersed in the bath until all the color in the lIo-
uor was exhausted. To produce different shades
of color, Pliny says, nitre, wine, and a marine
plant called FlAcus, were occasionally added
Tne color was very dark, inclining to violet
with reddish hue, and another was crimson,
but the shade most famous resemblod coagulated
blood, laus Ell summa in colore sanguinis con-
cretl." There was another shade, called in Ex-
odus ky, wool twice dyed" This was the
deepest and richest color, produched by select
fish, and without employing any alkaline liquor
to darken the shade. In the reign of Augustus,
pound of this color on fine wool cost about
$3.50, but none were permitted to wear it in
those glorious days of despotc power, upon the
pain of death, except those of royal blood. The
art of dyeing this color was lost to the world
about the 18th century, it expired with fhe last
remnant of Tyres existence. During number
of ages this dye was lamented as an irrevoca-
BILE loss.
In the early part of the 18th century, Mr..
Cole, an English gentleman, discovered some
shell fish ou the coast of England, which pro-
duced light purple color, and in 1909 the IA
nous Reaumer, of France discovered on the
coast of that country various shell fish which
produced fine purple color on linen. Fonte-
nellie, in giving an account of Reaumer's dis
covery said that it was much greater discovery
than the ancient purple. But at the time of this
re-discovery of the purple, America was begin
ming TO send some of her famous colors into Eu-
rope. From the scarcity of the shell fish, and
the trouble of forming the color, it never could
be produced at price below what royalty alone
could pay, but as in politics, so in art,the coch-
meal insect of America has given to the lowli-
est the privilege of wearing, at moderate
} price, this once royal color. A most splendid
scarlet is dyed on fine white wool by ground
cochineal, at the following rates per lb. IL 1-2
oz. cochineal, 2 OK. cream of tartar, 1-2 wine
glass full of the nitro muriate of tin. The wool
is boiled in clean vessel of copper or Tin, in
pure water, with the above Ingredients for one
hour The color can be blued, or made of vi
D oet shade, by handling the wool, in warm aka
{ line water, for half and hour There can be NJ
doubt but portion of tin from the Tyrian bath
o was taken up by the hot salt water, and absorb
y ed by the wool. This was the true basis or NOR
daunt Of their celebrated color-Sci Am.