Indigo Blue State Jackets

[snsliberty]

I have a chance to buy an Indigo Blue Illinois State jacket. I am a little concerned that the color will be too blue. Is there documentation on Indigo state jackets? Was it a common material used by manufacturers?
Thanks,
Bradley Finfrock
Yankee Mess

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Indigo Blue State Jackets

Hallo!

Indigo dyed blue was a common, if not preferred method for dying blue in the Period.

It is a tricky color to dye, and to dye consistently (due to many variables such as fabric, dye purity, dye bath intensity or concentration, volume of material already dyed in a batch of dye, , amounts and purity of mordants, temperature of dyebaths, time in the dye bath, etc., etc.) as surviving CW garment color ranges and color tones show.

Today, very few vendors deal with indigo dyed fabrics, it is cheaper, easier, and more consistent to use modern aniline dyes that simulate or reproduce the range of actual indigo dyed textiles.

IMHO, your question should be rather how near or far does the aniline dyed material come to simulating or replicating actual indigo dyed items, rather than say artifically bright say electric "neon blue," etc., etc.

For the Civil War, indigo dyed material is more of a "blue concept' than an actual non-varying standard "color chip."

Curt

[snsliberty]

Re: Indigo Blue State Jackets

Curt:

Thank you for the information. I am not sure if this jacket was dyed using a modern method or from historic variables. I will do a little more research.
Regards,
Bradley Finfrock
Yankee Mess