Chemical Colour
Chemical Colour
From GBP 6.00
Location
Date
Description
Chemical Colour: Evidence for 'Coal-Tar' Pigments in British Printing Ink, 1860–1914
With Ian Dooley
Date: Wednesday 6 November 2024
Location: St Bride Foundation and Online via Zoom
In-person times (GMT):
Doors/bar: 6.15pm
Talk starts: 7pm
Talk ends: 8.30pm
In-person tickets: £9, £12, £14
Please note: Ticket sales end at 4pm on the day of the talk. If available, tickets purchased in-person on the door will cost £16 per person. Please do call or email us to check if an event has any tickets left as you may not be admitted if we have sold out.
Online time (GMT): 7.00–8.30pm
Online tickets: £6, £8
Please note: Ticket sales end at 4pm on the day of the talk. You will be emailed the Zoom link for the talk at 6pm on the day of the talk. We will also send the link to all in-person ticket holders in case they are unable to attend and would like to join virtually.
This talk explores the introduction and continued use of synthetic organic pigments for printing ink during the late nineteenth century. Synthetic pigments introduced brilliant never-before-seen colours for printing that could not be produced by naturally derived pigments. They are derived from synthetic dyes which began commercial production in the late 1850s. But we don’t know when they were introduced as pigments, for how long they were used, or for what kind of printed material they may or may not have been used for. This talk draws mainly from St Bride Library’s unparalleled collection of specimen books, ink manufacturers’ printed samples of available colours, to track the introduction, appearance, and uses of these pigments. Specimen books reveal the advantages and disadvantages of using these new colours and how they forever changed how books looked.
Ian Dooley is a third year PhD student at the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study (University of London). This talk is based on work from their thesis: Printing Ink Manufacturing In Britain And Its Impact On Print Culture And Society: 1850–1900 which explores how industrial ink making fundamentally changed printed material into chemical-industrial products; altering printed material, British culture, and industrial society. Ian is a former library worker at Princeton University Special Collections specialising in book history, nineteenth century illustration techniques, and children’s literature.
Please note: This talk is being held in our Passmore Edwards room which is only accessible by two flights of stairs. If you have accessibility requirements, it may be best to view the talk online, but please contact events@sbf.org.uk ahead of the event if you have any queries.
Organiser
Established in 1891 with a clear social and cultural purpose, St Bride Foundation is one of London’s hidden gems.
Housed in a beautiful Grade II listed Victorian building, St Bride Foundation was originally set up to serve the burgeoning print and publishing trade of nearby Fleet Street, and is now finding a new contemporary audience of designers, printmakers and typographers who come to enjoy a regular programme of design events and workshops.
Many thousands of books, printing-related periodicals and physical objects are at the heart of St Bride Library. Volumes on the history of printing, typography, newspaper design and paper-making jostle for space alongside one of the world’s largest and most significant collections of type specimens. The printed, written, carved and cast word may be found at St Bride in its myriad forms. Architectural lettering and examples of applied typography in many media, together with substantial collections of steel punches and casting matrices for metal types are also held in this eclectic collection. The Reading Room is open to visitors twice a month and on other days by appointment. Although we operate on a cost-neutral basis, it is necessary to charge for some of our services. Details are available by emailing the library team at library@sbf.org.uk.
St Bride retains many of its original features, including the baths, laundry, printing rooms and library. As part of the Foundation’s original mission to provide for the community, many of the building’s unique and characterful spaces are available to hire whether for meetings, weddings or classes.
St Bride also houses the popular Bridewell Theatre, and Bridewell Bar (once the laundry), and hosts a year-round programme of plays, comedy, music and exhibitions.
With some 65,000 visitors a year St Bride Foundation is a major London hub for the creative arts in London. We look forward to welcoming you soon.
Venue
St Bride Foundation, 14 Bride Ln, EC4Y 8EQ London
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