William Perkin Made Purple Cheap

Before 1856, purple dye stayed rare and expensive, so only the wealthy could afford it. In 1856, an 18-year-old English chemist named William Henry Perkin tried to synthesize quinine as a malaria treatment, but he instead produced a vivid purple residue from coal tar. Perkin realized he had created the first major synthetic dye, patented it that same year, and started manufacturing it as “mauve.” This breakthrough made purple suddenly affordable and turned the color into a mass-market fashion craze.

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