Indigo

Indigo refers to a natural dark blue colorant obtained from the tropical Indigofera tinctoria plants. This species of shrub is naturalized to the tropical and temperate areas of Asia and Africa and has been cultivated elsewhere for centuries; its location of origin is uncertain. The use of indigo was first mentioned in Indian manuscripts in the 4th century BCE; it was first exported to Europe in Roman times.

The natural material is collected as a precipitate from a fermented solution of the plant, where the coloring component, indigotin, is extracted as a colorless glycoside that turns blue with oxidation. Indigo is a fine, intense powder which may be used directly as a pigment in oil, tempera, or watercolor media. Since the exposed pigment can fade rapidly in strong sunlight, it is rarely used in art or fine textiles today. The same dye compound is now also produced synthetically.

13316756: UMO. Audio: 10/24/2013, "Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World," Boshell Family Lecture Series on Archaeology; speaker is Catherine E. McKinley, author of Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World. (Discusses the precious dye's long and varied heritage. Originating in Africa, its relationship to slavery, profound influence on fashion, and spiritual significance are all part of an untold story, filled with tales of those who shaped the course of colonial history and a world economy.  McKinley provides a closer look at this familiar, yet still mysterious, color that appears everywhere from African garments to today’s fashion shows.  Held in conjunction with the exhibition Saturated: Dye-Decorated Cloths from North and West Africa.)

265930495: UMO. [Caption] Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria). Source: Kurt Stüber (Own work), Wikimedia Commons, accessed: April 20, 2016, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Indigofera_tinctoria1.jpg.

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