Call Number:

MSS 0563

Repository:

University of Delaware Library Special Collections

Extent:

18 linear foot (365 items)

Language:

English, German, French, and Dutch; Flemish

Preferred Citation:

MSS 0563, Dyeing catalog collection, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Date:

1893-1960 (inclusive) and 1893-1924 (bulk)

Creator:

Agfa (Firm), Friedrich Bayer & Co., Kalle & Co., Leopold Cassella & Co., Gesellschaft für Chemische Industrie in Basel, British Dyestuffs Corporation, and Imperial Chemical Industries, ltd.

Form:

Trade catalogs

Abstract:

The Dyeing catalog collection comprises 365 trade catalogs related to the European dyeing industry in the late 19th and early 20th century, with the bulk of the materials from Germany. Most of the catalogs include samples of dye on various types of material, including paper, wood, textiles, yarn, and fur.

Although the manufacture of dyes can be traced back to thousands of years, until the nineteenth century, all colorants were of natural origin. The first synthetically made commercial dye, mauve, was developed from aniline, a coal tar derivative, by William Henry Perkin in 1856. His success led other chemists to experiment with aniline derivatives and soon there was a spirited competition among commercial chemists, particularly in England, France, and Germany, to develop new synthetic dyes and to obtain lucrative patents. In the decades prior to World War I, the German dyeing industry was arguably the world leader in the production of synthetic dyes and this collection serves as an important documentary artifact from this period.

The Dyeing catalog collection comprises 365 trade catalogs related to the European dyeing industry. The dates range from 1893 to 1960, although the largest part of the collection dates to before 1925. Most of the catalogs are in German, but the collection also includes materials in French, Dutch, and English. The catalogs represent a number of German companies, including Agfa, Bayer, Kalle & Co., and the Leopold Cassella Co. Industrial societies, such as the Gesellschaft für Chemische Industrie in Basel, are also represented. British companies include the British Celanese Co., the British Dyestuffs Corporation, and the Imperial Chemical Industries. Most of the catalogs include samples of dye on various types of material, including paper, wood, textiles, yarn, and fur.

The collection is organized alphabetically by the name of the company or society that published the catalog.