Sample Book, The Coal Tar Colour of Meister Lucius & Brüning, Ltd. . . . Applied in Calico Printing, Synthetic Red Dyes: Mordant Alizarins, plates 122–23, and Alizarin Turkey Reds, plate 169

One of many volumes on dyestuffs by Meister, Lucius & Bruning, Ltd., this particular volume focuses on calico printing, illustrated with swatches primarily produced in their trial laboratory. Calico, which was originally invented in the 11th century in Calcutta, India, is a plain, woven, cotton textile dyed and printed in bright hues. Europeans were partial to small patterns on a cream base rather than the Indian preference for a darker background. Within this publication are the recipes and descriptions of the various ways in which their dyes can be applied to cotton fabrics, along with a wide range of calico samples shown in varying shades. The coal tar colors were a mixture of chemicals derived from petroleum. When a mordant was combined with a dye, it served to fix it in the material. This manual preserves original fabric dye recipes as well as the lovely calico designs from the early 1900s.