AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Through practice, experienced natural dyers anticipate what can feel like supernatural or shocking results from the dye bath. Colors from bright fuschia to rich brown emerge from a pungent stew, and with minor ingredient variations, a new, unexpected color may emerge, embedded in the fabric. Natural dyes are known to be sourced from a wide array of organic and inorganic substances, from insects to plants to minerals. Fungi, organisms of a separate phylum from plants and animals, and lichens, consisting of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, have also historically been used for dyeing textiles. These organisms have been briefly explored in dye literature, namely by Dominique Cardon, however the cultural practice, breadth of colors available, and aging properties have been largely unpublished. Some colors can be identified visually, have known chromophores or signatures in specific wavelengths, but many dyes continue to be mysterious. Conservators, curators, and communities alike are often unsure about the sources of dyes on cultural heritage objects. While a number of non-destructive characterization tools are available for certain colorants, the identification often requires a reference set for comparison. For fungi and lichen sources, this data currently does not exist. The International Fungi and Fiber Symposium offers a biennial gathering of fiber and mycology enthusiasts. An array of dyed samples, representing a rainbow of colors from common fungi and lichen foraged in the United States were created at this symposium in 2022. They have been studied and multimodal imaging characterization has been completed. Further, the longevity of the dyes have been examined using spectrophotometry before and after accelerated aging. Future goals include conducting Microfading Testing (MFT) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to characterize the dyes and create a reference set to be useful for analysis of future cultural heritage objects. Through sharing this initial information, images, and resources, the authors hope to spark connections with others who may be asking similar questions about colors in the collections they care for.