Ultimately, the growing desire for the color fueled both colonialism and the African slave trade. The indigofera plant required a tropical climate, making it impossible to harvest in Europe. Napoleon’s Grande Armée used 150 tons per year starting in 1804. Armies began using the dye for their uniforms. New trade routes and use of forced labor for production dropped the price of indigo. (Guess their biggest customers? The English, of course!) The French ban was lifted by 1737, and the French quickly achieved an indigo monopoly. Despite the ban, the French upper-class was obsessed with the blue and simply ignored any attempts at curbing their indigo obsession. ) and didn’t want another competing product-no matter how superior.įrance also had well-established dying industries that utilized woad, so a ban was placed on indigo. They already had a thriving trade in blue using woad (a flowering plant grown in the U.K. Image via Everett Collection.ĭespite the superiority of indigo over other dyes, Europe was relatively slow to import the dye. English dyers, for example, were initially quite resistant to using indigo. Wearing fashionable blue: Helena Catharina de Witte, the wife of Iman Mogge, by Caspar Netscher, 1678. Still vibrant blues in this tapestry detail of “David Sees Bathsheba Washing and Invites Her to His Palace.” It is thought to have been woven for Henry VIII of England in 1528. Today, museums are filled with tapestries that are said to suffer from “blue disease”-all this time later, the only thing that remains of them is their blue indigo. Once dyed, indigo is so colorfast that it can last for centuries or even millennia. In Bhutan, pregnant women were not allowed near the vat in case the unborn baby stole the blues, and women in Morocco believed the only way to deal with a particularly challenging vat was to start telling outrageous lies.īut for color-crazed Europe, all this trouble was worth the final result. It was so mysterious and challenging to work with that, in many cultures, folklore arose around the dyeing process. The chemical properties of indigo dye remained baffling well into the 19th century. Extracting the sludge sediment from the vat and then hurrying the evaporation process to create a dry cake was laborious. That sediment is collected and dried into cakes, which are then sold.īroken into three steps, indigo extraction seems simple, but it was, in fact, a complex and taxing process. The extracted liquid is allowed to oxidize and a blue sediment forms at the bottom of the vat.ģ. Spiritual Meaning of Indigo in Christianityīiblically, the color symbolizes heavenly grace and Mother Mary has often been represented in clothes of blue or indigo.An early, unattributed engraving describes the indigo manufacturing process. In the Elizabethan Age, the color indigo stood for wealth, power and royalty and only people belonging to the nobility were allowed to wear clothes of this shade. The 23 rd of November is regarded as the Indigo Ribbon Day. The indigo ribbon stands for unity and infinity, worn to create an awareness of the crimes which Targeted Individuals are subjected to. In healing and color therapy: Purifying and cooling effect, also generating a sense of self-awareness, helping one to realize his dreams In business application: Creativity, spirituality and divinity. What Does Indigo Represent in Other Fields and Objects It also has a negative implication, hinting at your deceitful nature towards your friends for personal gains.ĭreaming of indigo waters might be a warning of an ugly or messy affair in your waking life. Seeing the color indigo in your dream is believed to be a reminder of the significance of your spiritual life. What Does Seeing the Color in Your Dream Mean
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