Saturday, April 14, 2012

Topics in History - Fabric and Dyes

When deciding on clothing for your character, is important to know the kinds of fabrics and colors that would have been available, especially in visual mediums like movies or comics.

In this article we'll explore
  • Early Clothes
  • Textiles
  • Fabric developments
  • Color


Early Clothes – What did people first wear?

People wore clothes made from natural sources - “animal skin and furs, grasses and leaves, and bones and shells” (Bellis, 2012). Sewing was rudimentary at best. Needles could be made from bone, which could be used to make sewn garments. However, it was far more likely for you to find clothing that was draped or tied off.

Textiles – How did clothing develop?

The discovery of spinning and weaving allowed people to make cloth for the first time. Mankind first began to twist plant fibers together to make string some 20,000-30,000 years ago. Weaving can be dated back to Neolithic times – around 12,000 years ago (Administrator, 2012). 

Fabric – What kinds of fabric were available in different times?

Early clothing varied a lot by region. Different kinds of fiber were available in different locations. Trade make it possible for some different kinds to be passed around to different regions.

By region, common types of fabric were
  • Egypt – clothing was light and typically made of linen or cotton. Jewelry was often worn – gold and silver and precious stones for the wealthy, coppor or bronze for the poor
  • Greek or Romans – clothing was typically made of linen or wool, though the wealthy could afford silk or cotton
  • Medieval – Wool was the most common material of clothing in this time period, though it varied in quality; modern fashion began during this time period
  • Early Americas – Mayans, Azetcs, and upper-class Incas all wore cotton (Lambert, 2012)

Color – How did dyes affect clothing from different periods?

The first known record of dyes being used comes from Ancient China (Druding, 2007).

Early dyes were natural – typically coming from plants or insects. In one instance, sea-snails were used by the ancient Phoenicians to make a purple dye. Many more vivid colors were rare and expensive, and in several cases they were restricted to royalty and the upper-class.

For example, throughout different cultures, the colors reserved for royalty were
  • China – Yellow (reserved for the emperor), Orange (reserved for the crown prince), bright blue, red and purple
  • England – Purple
  • Ancient Greece and Rome – Purple
Additionally, some colors were reserved for different professions. The color red was worn by English physicians and the British Army.

Synthetic dyes were first created and produced for general use in the late 1800s. After synthetic dyes became commonly produced, colors became cheaper and more consistent, causing natural dyes to fall out of use (Wyse, 2012).

Sources:

Administrator. (2010, April 08). History of weaving. Retrieved from http://www.weavedesign.eu/site/index.php/about-his-work/6-techniques/20-history-of-weaving 

Bellis, M. (2012). History of clothing: How did specific items of clothing develop?. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/clothing.htm 

Druding, S. C. (2007, November 30). Dye history from 2600 bc to the 20th century. Retrieved from www.straw.com/sig/dyehist.html

Lambert, T. (2012). A brief history of clothing. Retrieved from http://www.localhistories.org/clothes.html 

Wyse, X. (2012). History of natural dyes - color in culture. Retrieved from http://baileybear.hubpages.com/hub/History-of-Natural-Dyes-Color-in-Culture

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