The increase of fabric production around the middle of
the 19th century meant that fabric was more readily
available. Synthetic dying of fabric was actually
discovered by accident by a scientist who was trying to
create artificial quinine, and the process exploded the
creative possibilities – as more and more colorfast
dyes were developed, more fabrics were introduced into
the marketplace. Although we tend to think of the colors
of this era as drab, it is only because the colors on
the quilts from this period have faded or even changed
through the wear and tear of time. Vibrant colors began
to appear during the 1870s - greens, yellows, purple,
salmon, cadet blue and browns. Women were dying solid
fabrics at home, but manufactured prints became popular,
even though they had to be purchased. The Empress
collection features some of these brighter colorings.
