For more information on the dyeing of printed fabrics in general, and for mention of Koechlin dyes in particular, see: Greene, Susan W. Wearable prints, 1760-1860: history, materials, and mechanics. Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 2014. For a brief history of the Koechlin firm, see: Smith, Michael Stephen. The emergence of modern business enterprise in France, 1800-1930. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2006 (pages 139-140).

Both volumes are bound in contemporary brown cloth.

Two volumes of manuscript pattern books serve recording the chemical dyeing processes and pigments used by the French firm Koechlin & Frères, compiled by Camille Koechlin, 1841-1843. The detailed and technical hand-written notes on dyeing accompany several thousand fabric swatches pasted to the pages of the two albums.

The manuscript title page of the first volume reads: "Fabrication de 1841 à 1842 au Houlme. Camille Koechlin." In this volume, swatches (generally about 4 x 8 cm) are placed on the left-hand side of each page and are accompanied by notes in the right-hand column. For example a swatch with vertical rose and green stripes is accompanied by text: "Amaranthe no. 1, p. 384, puis vert 1/2 par-dessus; fixage habituel; un jour d'aérage, laver et battre." Pages 300-388 in the volume provide recipes for each color, including recipes for aniline dyes. The recipe for Amaranthe (page 384) specifies: "6 litres oxalate stannique, 2 1/2 kilog. acide oxalique, 15 litres acétate d'alumine, 15 litres ou 18 kilog. extrait de cochenille page 357, 8 kilog. gomme. Pour foncer j'y ajoutais encore 4 kilog. cochenille ..." The Amaranthe recipe is also accompanied by the note: "Cette couleur est des plus sensibles au cuivre." On pages 245-299 (between the swatches and recipes), Koechlin provides notes of a more general nature. The volume concludes with an index of colors, and (on page 394) a list of "Prix des drogues" i.e. the prices of 40 chemical ingredients, per kilogram.

The manuscript title page of volume two reads: "Fabrication de 1842 à 1843 à Déville. Camille Koechlin." The volume may be unfinished. The swatches vary considerably in size, some as large as about 15 x 15 cm. Absent are manuscript notes accompanying each swatch (as found in the first volume). Many of the pages at the back are blank, though color recipes are present on pages 251-292. A color index is given on pages 355-356, followed by several diagrams and notes on machines used in the manufacturing process.

Textile fabrics > France > Design.

Textile printing > France > 19th century.

Dyes and dyeing > Cotton > 19th century.

Dyes and dyeing > Chemistry > 19th century.

Clothing and dress > Europe > 19th century.

Textile design > France > Alsace.

Workshop recipes > France.

Clothing and dress > France.

Clothing trade > France.

Mulhouse (France) > Commerce > 19th century.

Pattern books.

Sample books.

Textile materials.

Swatches.

Koechlin & Frères.

BAC TS1372 K64 1841+ Oversize Exhibited in: Art in Focus: Blue (Yale Center for British Art, April 5, 2019-August 11, 2019)