'A clinging Liberty tea-gown instead of a magenta satin': The Colour Red in ArtisticDress by Liberty & Co.

Author: Buruma, Anna

Source: Costume, Volume 41, 2007 , pp. 105-110(6)

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Abstract:

This article addresses questions about the use of strong colours, particularly red, in aesthetic fashions of the late nineteenth century. Contrary to our perception of the Aesthetic Movement, there are actually images, surviving textile patterns and literature which show that strong reds were used in dress, despite the fact that there appear to be no surviving Liberty garments in these colours. Rather than because of a disdain for cheap dyes, it is due rather to practical matters: ideas about the unhealthy aspects of certain dyes and the unreliability of their colour fastness seem stronger than class-bound feelings of contempt.

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/174963007X182372

Publication date: 2007-06-01

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