Our esteemed editor [Editor: a reference to founding editor Bill Protz.] recently inquired about the facing color for Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 2 and so I thought that I would look it up. When the journal arrived, I was trying to sort out some facing colors for the Austrians using the Pengel & Hurt booklets and the Methuen Handbook of Color . I borrowed the latter from the local library, although I understand that it is in print and can be ordered from book shops.

A browse through its pages is fascinating because one soon realizes that color names convey different ideas to different people. The author, being a 20th Century Englishman, thinks of "red" in terms of pillboxes, Liverpool football shoes and the Guards. Not so the 18th Century Austrians. Their red facings ( scarlet, poppy red) are nearer to orange, and their blues (azure, sapphire, ultramauve) are all medium to dark. To find out why, I began to look into the textile and dyeing industries of the period. I cannot claim this article to be anywhere near definitive, so any corrections and additions will be gratefully received.

Military uniforms of the period were all made from natural fibers. Coats, waistcoats, most breeches and gaiters and the felt hats were made from wool, which largely consists of dead protein. Some facings were of velvet made from silk, another animal fiber. Vegetable fiber, largely cellulose, was used in the form of linen shirts, smocks, jabots, etc. 'Me distinction is important because linen could not be dyed successfully and was used either bleached or in its natural color. Wool was dyed, but not bleached.

White uniforms were not white at all. Their natural color was that of washed wool, which varies from a dirty cream through grey and brown to nearly black. Even if only the white wool was used, the color ("portegrew" to the Austrians) was probably a dull creamy grey/white. [Editor.- best represented by Ral Partha's Light Grey color] They were whitened by the application of generous quantities of pipeclay or chalk. The Austrians appear to have adapted this practice early in the century, but I wonder how much pipeclay was applied on campaign. The French practice of using white linen gaiters may have made their uniforms look grayer. It is probable that on campaign the Austrian white was distinctly off-white. The French uniform was probably not very different in color.

Blue could be obtained in several ways. The pre-eminent blue dyes of the period were indigo and woad, which were the same dyestuffs obtained from different plants. They gave a good, durable ("fast"), if slightly dull dark blue, but the light blues obtained were rather less successful, and usually required correction with other colors to offset a greenish tinge.

Wool dyers disliked indigo because the dyeing process required the use of an alkaline reducing agent which was thought to damage the wool. The reducing agent was often ammonia, which was obtained from stale urine. Any dye which did not have this drawback was looked upon with favor, especially if it was cheaper.

The Prussian blue was unique at the time in being a chemical dye, rather than a substance obtained from natural sources. It was easier to use, slightly brighter, and cheaper than indigo. However, it is very likely that some, at least, of the Prussian coats were dyed with Logwood which was similarly easy, cheap and bright, but a "loose" color. In 1758, Frederick issued the edict banning its use, which suggests the Prussian army may have had its fingers burned by unscrupulous contractors.

Red colors were almost invariably obtained from nadde. This was a "mordanted" dye which means that a metal salt was used to fix the dye. By using different mordants (e.g. alum or tin) a wide range of colors could be obtained. The most common was a dull poppy red (or orange/red), but pink, maroon, violet, lilac and brown were possible with nadde alone, and the other shades in combination with other dyes.

The main drawback to nadde is its dullness by modern standards. Brilliant carmine and scarlet were obtainable using Kermis and Cochineal, which were extracted from insect bodies. Cochineal with a tin mordant was the dye used for British officers' coats in the 19th Century, but it was imported and expensive in the 18th Century. It is unlikely that the rank and file had facings dyed with cochineal and Duffy describes the cuffs and waistcoats of the Austrian officers' corps as a light-reddish brown (i.e. nadde).

Yellow dyestuffs were widely available from plants and tended to be cheaper than other colors. Weld and old Fustic were the commonest dyes, particularly the former. Weld gave a pleasant lemon yellow or greenish blue depending on the mordant used.

Green could not obtained from a single natural dye in this period. It was obtained by first dying yellow then shading with blue. Interestingly, there is a passage in Duffy's Army of Maria Theresa which describes green garments weathering to a yellowish color. If indigo, which was "faster" than any of the yellows, had been used, the coats would be expected to go blue with age, as did the green fields in medieval tapestries. So what were they using -- Logwood?

Black could be dyed with Logwood. It was a better black than a blue, but official disapproval may have limited its use. The most common method in the period was to dye dark blue, then top up with nadde and/or weld, although this was a lengthy process.

Browns were obtained by using weld, nadde and Logwood in various combinations or by using one of the redwoods. The Rehrbrown of the Austrian artillery is a mystery, although the nadde may have been used as it was on the facings.

What colors should we paint this coat or that facing on our miniature figures? No definitive answer can be given because of the many variable factors involved. Contemporary evidence depends on the perception of an individual observer, or a set of regulations which may be vague and probably followed only partially. Pictorial evidence depends on the subjective perceptions of the artist and the medium used. The pigments in the paint or ink may not be very similar to those in the garment. Even if we could obtain unfaded original coats, we would not be any nearer the answer. Human color perception is modified by many things. The angular subterre of the color field at the eye can vary the apparent darkness of a color. The characteristics of any adjacent color field can also have an effect. For example, nadde red facings might look fairly red on a green coat, and yellow on a blue coat due to their contrast effects. Black gaiters might make a whitish coat look white, while bleached linen ones could make the clothes look grey. Figures seen a a distance have much less saturated colors than nearer ones.

As a general principle, though, most colors would be dull by modern standards, even when new, and duller still after campaign wear. To return to Bill Protz and IR No. 2, if the figures represent soldiers on campaign, with nadde-dyed facings, at a distance then a light dull orange with a touch of red would do the job. Probably.

Sources

Ponting K.G.: A Dictionary of Dyes and Dyeing, Mills and Boon, London 1980.
Kornerup A.: The Methuen Handbook of Color, Eyre Methven, 1978.
Duffy C.: The Military Experience in the Age of Reason Routledge and Keegan Paul, London and NY. 1978.
Duffy C.: The Army of Frederick the Great , David and Charles, London 1974.
Duffy C.: The Army of Maria Theresa , Terence Wise, Doncaster, 1990.
Pengel & Hurt: various booklets from this series.

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