- Name: Lillian Hutchinson
- Project: The Color of Desire
- East Kingdom Wiki: https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/Lillian_Hutchinson
- Category: Textiles, dye
The vermillion flash of Louboutins, the cherry sports car, the oxblood satchel propped on the conference table- since the dawn of time, ruling classes have found ways to telegraph power and prestige. And in medieval Europe the most striking way was the color red. Of all the rainbow of hues in the dyer’s palate, red was the most costly. So, when Spaniards encountered a brilliant crimson dye in the marketplaces of the Aztec civilization, the stage was set for cochineal to become one of the most valuable commodities in the world.
The benefits of cochineal were truly global. For dyers, it represented a revolution in production. Faster, more effective, and more prevalent, cochineal could produce a monochromatic palate from pale pink to crimson- even a hot pink that would make the 1980s jealous. For farmers in Mexico, cochineal represented a source of income and a way to preserve their cultural heritage. And for the rest of the world, cochineal became one of the most prized commodities in the global economy.
Additional Documentation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12UgmCYAl5LQsBjJKtoMQG8IHKjY2n33X/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=103849751791663771298&rtpof=true&sd=true
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