TURKEY RED DYE

Turkey Red is a pure ‘lake’ (a more stable and light fast isolate) of the colour found in madder root. Just as indigo was synthesised in the 19th Century, so the colour compounds in madder were reproduced in England by William Henry Perkin and in Germany by Carl Graebe and Carl Liebermann. Both discoveries were made in 1868, but Graebe and Liebermann registered their patent a day earlier.

As with many dyes, Turkey Red reacts differently to different fibres- on wool it produces a deep red, while cotton takes on a softer, more peachy colour.

Turkey Red has been used by many painters, including by Henri Matisse in The Red Studio, of 1911.

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