Indigo
Natural · Antiquity to the late 19th century (before synthetic indigo)
Indigo dye is one of the oldest known dyes, traded across multiple continents for millennia before synthetic indigo production began in the late 19th century.
Indigo-dyed fibre varies considerably by dye strength, number of dips and how the yarn has aged — this is one specific dyed sample, not a definitive indigo shade."Indigo Dyed Yarn" by Loggie-log, public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsLicence details
- Source:
- Wikimedia Commons
- Creator:
- Loggie-log
- Licence:
- Released into the public domain by the copyright holder, worldwide, with no conditions.
- Reviewed:
- 2026-07-25
- Source material
- Leaves of indigo-producing plant species (notably Indigofera)
- Geography
- Cultivated and traded across Asia, Africa and, later, the Americas
- Earliest documented use
- At least the 3rd millennium BCE
- Cost & availability
- A major historical trade commodity; cost varied by region and period but was widely traded internationally.
- Production (historical summary)
- Extracted from plant leaves through a fermentation and oxidation process.
- Stability & lightfastness
- Good under normal conditions; can fade with prolonged strong light exposure. (good)
- Replacement / obsolescence
- Largely replaced industrially by synthetic indigo, first commercially produced in the late 19th century.
Notable uses
- Traditional textile dyeing across many cultures
- Denim dyeing
Sources
- Wikipedia (colour, pigment and dye history articles) — Wikimedia Foundation
- Victoria and Albert Museum — Victoria and Albert Museum