Home » Adopt a Piece of History » Trade card featuring Samples of Colors Made from Handy Package Dyes (MA, New York, Chicago, c. 1890).

Trade card featuring Samples of Colors Made from Handy Package Dyes (MA, New York, Chicago, c. 1890).

William Clements Library Adopt a Piece of History Bookplate

Trade card featuring Samples of Colors Made from Handy Package Dyes (MA, New York, Chicago, c. 1890)


Adopted by Kristen Leer

Two years ago the Clements Library featured an exhibit called “More Than Gray: Reimagining Early America in Full Color.” Since almost all of the photographs we have of the 19th century are in black and white, it can be hard to imagine the past as a world of bright colors. This trade card featuring sample dye colors helps remind us that the past was just as colorful as the present (and the samples are still wonderfully bright).
Small square samples of fabric dyed in a plethora of colors.