A timeline for the introduction of synthetic dyestuffs in Japan during the late Edo and Meiji periods

Heritage Science

Table 1 List of natural and synthetic dyestuffs identified in the Japanese woodblock prints considered in this study

Dye	Molecule	Color Index #	Chemical class	Origin	Introduction^d
Rosaniline	–	Basic red 14	Triarylmethane	Synthetic	1856–1858
Pararosaniline	–	Basic red 9	Triarylmethane	Synthetic	1869
Methyl violet	–	Basic violet 1	Triarylmethane	Synthetic	Synthetized: 1861 As artists’ material: 1866
Crystal violet	–	Basic violet 3	Triarylmethane	Synthetic	1883
Safflower red	Carthamine	Natural red 26	Chalcone	Natural (vegetal)	Antiquity
Carmine	Carminic acid	Natural red 4	Anthraquinone	Natural (animal)	Americas: antiquity Europe: 1518
Eosin Y	–	Sodium salt: acid red 87; free acid: solvent red 43	Xanthene	Synthetic	1871
Ponceau 2R^a	–	Acid red 26	Naphthol	Synthetic	1878
Brilliant scarlet^b	–	Acid red 18	Naphthol	Synthetic	1878
Cotton scarlet^c	–	Acid red 73	Naphthol	Synthetic	1882

^a Listed in the Colour Index also as scarlet 2R, rainbow scarlet, new Ponceau 4R, acid scarlet, naphtharene scarlet 2R, amacid scarlet 2R lake scarlet 2R [11]
^b Listed in the Color Index also as scarlet, rainbow scarlet, new coccine, brilliant ponceau, wool scarlet, pontacyl scarlet, crocein scarlet [11]
^c Listed in the Color Index also as brilliant croceine, croceine scarlet, paper scarlet, blackley scarlet, carmoisine, croceine, paper red, cocceine, ponceau [11]
^dThe term introduction refers to the introduction in the Western world, unless otherwise specified