Perkin’s and Caro’s Mauveine in Queen Victoria’s Lilac Postage Stamps: A Chemical Analysis |
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| Authors: | Dr. Maria da Conceição Oliveira Ana Dias Dr. Peter Douglas Prof. J. Sérgio Seixas de Melo |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Centro de Química Estrutural, Complexo It, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049‐001 Lisboa (Portugal);2. Chemistry Group, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP (UK) and School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu‐Natal Westville Campus, Durban, 4000 (South Africa);3. Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, P3004‐535 Coimbra (Portugal), Fax: (+351)?239‐827‐703 |
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| Abstract: | Mauveine, a chemical icon, is no longer commercially available. If nowadays one wanted to have a sample of the original Perkin, or Caro, mauveine, and see its colour, where would one find it? The answer is on UK Victorian 6d postage stamps from 1867–1880. This was found from a comparison with historical samples of mauveine, from both William Perkin and a Heinrich Caro sample (here analysed for the first time). These have distinctly different compositions and this was used to identify the origin of mauveine in the postage stamps, with evidence found for mauveine made by both Perkin’s and Caro’s synthesis. |
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| Keywords: | analytical methods dyes/pigments history of science mauveine postage stamps |
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