PRUSSIAN BLUE
Prussian blue was discovered in around 1704 in Berlin, by the chemist Johann Jacob Diesbach. Prior to this, blues obtained from woad and indigo were susceptible to fading in bright light, and were unstable as pigments, so could not be used reliably for painting or printing. Prussian blue is derived from an iron salt, and gives an intense, slightly red-caste blue.
In 1842, Sir John Herschel invented the cyanotype process, whereby Prussian blue pigment is fixed photographically by exposure to sun light through a negative.This technique was originally used by engineers as a way of accurately reproducing finely detailed technical drawings (‘blue-prints’) but was also adopted as a quicker printing process for photographs, as it did not require a darkroom. Many early postcards and family portraits were printed as cyanotypes.
Scroll for products dyed with Prussian blue
TYPE 531 ELEPHANT EAR BACKPACK
The Elephant Ear backpack is cut from a single piece of heavy fabric bound around the edges with ecru cotton and folded up, with an ear at each side, riveted through to the back with a brass eyelet.
TYPE 533 ELEPHANT EAR POUCH
The Elephant Ear pouch is cut from a single piece of heavy fabric bound around the edges with ecru cotton and folded up, with an ear at each side, riveted through to the back with a brass eyelet.
TYPE 442 BOUND HEM SPLIT TAIL SHIRT
The Bound Hem Split Tail shirt's curved tails run up into the side seam, and are bound separately, creating a sharp angled split at the sides.
TYPE 454 GAMBESON LINED SHIRT COAT
The Gambeson Lined Shirt Coat takes its name from the mediaeval long quilted garment worn underneath, or instead of, metal armour. Each panel is fully lined with cotton casement and quilted in a single V stitch line from one corner to the other.
TYPE 933 ZOETROPE COAT
The Zoetrope Coat is cut from just five pieces of cloth- the front of each body panel is folded at an angle into a zigzag pleat radiating from the neck, which is stitched down with an opening to be used as a pocket.
TYPE 445 SHORT SLEEVE BOOMERANG SHIRT
The Boomerang Shirt is cut without a shoulder seam. Usually this requires a straight horizontal shoulder, like a kimono, but to give a more comfortable fit this pattern is sloped over the shoulder.
TYPE 440 FOLDED POCKET SHIRT
The front panels of the Folded Pocket shirt are folded up at the hem line, creating a large pocket with a curved bias-bound edge.
