Indigo

Okay, what are indigo and violet? Violet obviously is probably like a very, very, very deep purple, um, but I don't know.

Indigo and violet are closely related.

Historically, indigo was a highly valued dye, often coming from plants like the Indigofera species and producing a deep blue.

Violet shades were also sought after, with some ancient dyes created from rare sources like the Murex snail for Tyrian purple, which had a very purple-violet tone.

Are you interested in the specific processes for making these dyes?

Are there any of these cultures you'd like to delve into further?

Tell me about the plant, the indigo plant.

The primary source for indigo dye was the Indigofera plant, particularly Indigofera tinctoria.

For most of human history, the only dyes available were derived from natural sources.

Indigo, one of the oldest and most widely used dyes in the world, comes from plants of the genus Indigofera and produces the deep blue colour that has been prized by cultures across every continent.

Cochineal red, a vibrant crimson, is derived from the crushed bodies of scale insects that feed on prickly pear cactus, primarily in Central and South America.

The scale of cochineal production was enormous.