U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: Mucotypes

Re: Mucotypes



On Wed, 12 Dec 2007, John Cremati wrote:

Re:   Mucotypes

"At least twelve species of shellfish are known to yield photosensitive
extracts which are transformed by sunlight into purple or blue dyes"
Amazing!    I guess there is truley nothing new under the sun.....
The version of the blue dye generally referred to may be a different animal -- that is, what I'd heard, or actually read, was that the color was in the shell, not the creature inhabiting it.

Also that this was the origin of the term "royal purple," because, it being so scarce, only royalty was allowed to wear it, or/and only royalty could afford it.

J.

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