To Dye or Not to Dye

Authors

A. C. Haman, University of Northern IowaFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In the beginning there was water and rock, but as plant life evolved, the globe became more colorful. Cool greens gradually enveloped the earth as successive waves of mosses, ferns, conifers and angiosperms conquered the land. In addition new pigments evolved providing artistic man with new mood-creating dyes with which to color his existence. Primitive man utilized dyes to color his skin to frighten his enemies and increase his prestige. Greek ladies, dissatisfied with the color of their hair, used buckthorn, Rhamnus, to stain their hair yellow and add to their charms. European aristocrats of the Middle Ages, traveling incognito, camouflaged their faces with walnut stains. As a result of searching for new plants or cultivating them in fields, man learned their properties and habits and became proficient in extracting those pigments he desired to stimulate his senses.

Publication Date

1974

Journal Title

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Volume

11

Issue

3

First Page

6

Last Page

8

Copyright

© Copyright 1974 by the Iowa Academy of Science

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Haman, A. C. (1974) "To Dye or Not to Dye," Iowa Science Teachers Journal: Vol. 11: No. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/istj/vol11/iss3/3