The Turkey-red dyeing industry in Glasgow
Jane Rae reports on the Seeing
Red exhibition which took
place late last year at the
Collins Gallery in Glasgow.
Seeing Red: Scotland's Exotic Textile
Heritage was originally conceived by
textile historian and conservator, Liz
Arthur. The aim of the exhibition was
to raise awareness afthis fascinating
but largely overlooked aspect of
Scotland's textile history.
Left: Peacock design,
gouache on card (1860-80), Inset Right: An original bandanna
(1870-76)
When I visited the Vale of Leven
for the Loch Lomond Quilt Show in
2007 it was hard to imagine that this
stretch of water was once the centre of a
flourishing textile industry that spanned
over 200 years. The introduction of a
successful means of dyeing fabric using
the madder root (to produce a vivid
red) in the late 18th century was a huge
breakthrough for merchants George
Mackintosh and David Dale that orbited
the Vale of Leven into world trade and
brought significant economic benefit
to the local area. In the space of twenty
years, nine factories were built and the
workforce grew from 350 in 1835 to
over 6,000 in 1879. Many Irish families
settled in the Vale of Leven during this
time and migrant workers from the
Highlands of Scotland came down to
the area to work during the summer
months.
Turkey-red shirt
worn by David
Livingstone (midnineteenth
century)
Through enlisting the skills of a
French dyer, Pierre Jacques Papillon,
Mackintosh and Dale finally achieved
a means of dying cotton fabric a vivid
red that would not deteriorate through
washing, bleaching and sunlight. The
dyeing process known as "Turkey-red"
was complex and lengthy,
employing large quantities of the root
of the madder plant, urine, sheep's
dung, bullocks' blood, olive oil, alum
and soda ash. It involved 38 stages
and took several weeks to complete.
Up until 1835, drying and bleaching
the fabric still needed to done out
doors and one of the most memorable
images at the exhibition was a picture
of endless bolts of fabric spread out
in grass fields that dominated the
landscape. This was a necessary, but
not an altogether secure, part of the
process and as Liz Arthur points out:
"temptation proved too much for
many ...Catherine Veer stole printed
cotton shawls from the bleachfield
at Littlemill, near Dunglass, east of
Dumbarton and was banished for 14
years. Others were transported to His
Majesty's plantations."
Left: Late 19th century
pieced strippy quilt, Right: Late 19th century
log cabin quilt
made in Edinburgh.
The demand for Turkey-red cloth
went through the roof as production
methods became faster and output
potential increased. From 1835 to
1875, there was a 3,000 percent
increase in the number of parcels
of cloth being produced. Ironically,
the main market for the fabric was
in India with secondary markets in
China, Indonesia, The Philippines,
West African and the Americas. As
dyeing and printing processes became
more sophisticated, so did the patterns
and there is a notable progression
from striped and spotted patterns
to complex motifs sympathetic to
the different markets that they were
designed for. Geometric and floral
patterns were preferred by the Muslim
market whilst the Hindus preferred
designs incorporating elephants,
tigers, peacocks and dancing girls.
Cowboy Fabric
One of the most famous Turkey-red
products was the "bandanna" which
has become an iconic symbol of the
hardy, wholesome cowboy. It was
a practical piece of clothing that
shielded them from dust, was used to
mop up perspiration and acted as a
bandage on occasion, amongst other
things. Simple patterns including
circles, diamonds, clubs and florals
were most common. Production
processes improved and by 1817
it was possible to produce 224
bandannas every ten minutes. They
quickly flooded the world market and
were worn by all sectors of society,
including European gentlewomen,
African slaves, American cowboys
and even Benjamin Bunny created
by Beatrix Potter. Turkey-red fabric
was also widely used in producing
functional clothing and David
Livingstone was known to have
worn a Turkey-red shirt during his
explorations in Africa.
Swatches of
reproduction
Turkey-red
fabric
From a quilters perspective,
Turkey-red fabric must have been
a dream to work with as it didn't
fade or bleed and the colours were intensely rich. In a Flowering of
Quilts, edited by Patricia Cox Crews,
the description of a Blossom Wreath
quilt (America, 1850-60) captures
the intensity of the Turkey-red
fabric: "the contrast of the bright
yellow-and-blue print against the
saturated red fabric makes the quilt
sparkle." With established trade
routes from Glasgow to Virginia
and Maryland, Turkey-red became
a notable feature of many quilts
found between 1840 and 1870 in
neighbouring Delaware.
Closer to home, Turkey-red fabric
made its way into Scottish quilts as
well as those in Northern Ireland
and the Northeast of England. In her
book, Quilted Planet, Celia Eddy
notes that: "in the north of Ireland,
Turkey red and white patchwork
quilts featured strongly, and were
often referred to as "best quilts",
kept for social occasions such
as a visit from the doctor." The
exhibition was fortunate enough to
be displaying quilts on loan from
Janet Rae, in particular, a strippy
quilt from Cumbria, a Scottish quilt
with log cabin design and a whole
cloth from the Hexham area (Janet
Rae points out in her descriptions
that many of these quilts would
have been backed in Turkey-red
fabric as well).
New and Old
Whilst remnants of the original bolts
of fabric still exist in the pattern
books on display, digitally produced
versions of 3 metre lengths of fabric
had been commissioned especially
for this event. Although not a true
rendition of the intensity of Turkey-red
fabric which, when described, is
often accompanied by a host of rich
adjectives such as luscious, luxurious
and extravagant, visitors were still
able experience the liveliness and
diversity of designs. The next time
I visit the Vale of Leven, I will see
the landscape through different eyes
and my experience will no doubt be
enhanced by the memory of these
great swathes of Turkey-red fabric.
Barclay Lennie, the Chairman of
Friends of Glasgow Museums,
comments in his foreword to the
exhibition publication that: "there is
almost a collective amnesia about an
industry which was a major exporter
until the early part of the 20th
century ...". The work of Liz Arthur
and all involved in recording the story
of Turkey-red dyeing will surely play
an important part in reviving and
sustaining interest in this important
part of our textile heritage.
An illustrated publication to
support the exhibition was
produced and is still available .
with essays by Liz Arthur, Lindsay
Taylor, Mary Schoeser and John
Burne (price: £10.00/£12.00 incl.
p&p). Some of the swatches that
you see here are also available to
purchase at a cost of £100 (3 metre
lengths) Email collinsdesk@strath.
ac.uk for more information .
Facts
- The Turkey-red technique
originated in India employing
the root of the madder plant,
then spread to the Levant, to
Smyrna and Adrianople, from
where it got its name
"Turkey-red".
- The word "bandanna"
originates from the Hindi
bandhana which literally
means "to tie".
- David Livingstone was born
in the mill town of Blantyre
in Lanarkshire in 1813. The
shirt pictured here was worn
during his explorations of
Southern and Central Africa.