Red Dye History

The kermes dye was considered to be native to the old world, “Used by the Aztecs for dyeing and painting” (Douma, 2008), and the Incas, who loved their reds. Throughout this time, various native american groups throughout Mesoamerica and South America used as dyestuff. It wasn’t until the 16th Century, that the Spanish conquest pushed the kermes dye into the hands of the Europeans. In fact, “When Spanish explorers discovered [the dye] and Conquistadors invaded Central and South America in the late 15th and 16th centuries, they found well developed civilizations with rich natural resources, including an unusually fine red dye” (Werner, 2006). The red dye had quite the impact during the Renaissance, with those who were wealthy being particularly
The Spaniards were the first to claim ownership of the beetle, holding a monopoly for over 400 years. The British, being a world power during the 1500’s, may have had land and power, but they experienced true control after their invasion of the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands, awarding the Queen twenty-seven tons of the dye in the form of cochineal shells. This explains why during the Revolutionary War with America, traces of the dye appeared in their historical red coats. By 1787, “Amsterdam merchant, Henry Hope, cornered the world market by purchasing 732,540 pounds” (Werner, 2006), or 95% of what was produced during that year. This dye was also prominent during 1865, appearing in poetry by Emily Dickinson. However, production tapered off during the 1870’s, when more synthetic red dye came into production, such as, “Alizarine, eosine, and roccellin” (Werner, 2006). Though the inclusion of new, “Fake,” dyes was popular, a cancer scare with these synthetic reds, brought an organic boom to life in the 1970’s, and breathed fresh air into the production of the kermes dye back into popularity. Now, companies such as Arequipa, “Keeps seven million cochineal-infested nopal cacti under care” (Werner, 2006), in order to continue to produce the dye to this