Madder, cochineal, Mauveine; Dyes have incited murder and subterfuge, made and lost fortunes and turned clothes into a status symbol for thousands of years. A new book examines why.

Though Perkin was young, he sensed a business opportunity, patented the dye, and quickly opened a dyeworks shop in London. And by 1862, Queen Victoria herself was wearing garments dyed with mauveine.

Today's Google Doodle honors chemist Sir William Henry Perkin, who accidentally discovered the purple dye mauveine while trying to synthesize an anti-malarial drug. During the spring of 1856, most ...

He would call this, the first mass-produced synthetic dye, Mauveine, an “eye-wateringly vibrant purple” that became all the rage in fashion. Perkins was a rich man by 21, ...

In 1862, Queen Victoria wore a gown that was dyed using mauveine to the Royal Exhibition. Perkin had been trying to find a synthetic treatment for malaria when he accidentally discovered the dye.

He named the aniline purple dye “mauveine” and worked to patent, manufacture and commercialize it during an era in which the textile industry was at a high.