Rotting for Red

Archival, Experimental and Analytical Research on Estonian Traditions of Decomposing Alder Buckthorn Bark Before Dyeing

Datos Bibliográficos

ID13124706
AutoresLiis Luhamaa (University of Tartu, autor de correspondencia), Riina Rammo (0000-0003-4590-4057, University of Tartu), Debbie Bamford (University of Leeds), Ina Vanden Berghe (0000-0002-2053-6000, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage), Jonas Veenhoven (0000-0002-5825-1625, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage), Krista Wright (0000-0002-8070-0407, University of Helsinki), Riikka Räisänen (0000-0003-2918-3739, University of Helsinki)
Año2025
Volumen8
Número6
Páginas220-220
Fecha de publicación2025-06-10
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHeritage (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2571-9408 • E-ISSN: 2571-9408
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/heritage8060220
OpenAlexW4411179500
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas5

This article sheds light on the historical dyeing traditions of rural inhabitants of the Eastern Baltic region. The 19th- and early 20th-century Estonian archival sources mention that rotted alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus Mill.) bark was used to dye woollen yarn red. The bark was rotted by leaving it outside for weeks or months before dyeing. Although dyeing red with alder buckthorn bark by fermenting it in wood ash lye is well known, the combination of rotting the bark and using the boiling method to dye red has not been reported. Practical experiments testing shorter and longer-term rotting of alder buckthorn bark both on and under the ground were conducted. Woollen yarns were dyed with rotted bark using the boiling method and were tested for lightfastness and alkaline pH sensitivity, and analysed using HPLC-DAD. The results show that rotting alder buckthorn bark has a strong effect on the achievable colours and that woollen yarns can be dyed different shades of red. The colours were sensitive to alkaline pH and their light fastness varied from very low to good. HPLC-DAD analysis showed that the pretreatment of the bark affected not only the colour but also the dye composition of the dyed wool

Alder · Art · Bark (sound · Biology · Botany · Dyeing · Estonian · Geography · Linguistics · Chemistry · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Philosophy · Forestry · Organic Chemistry