Indigo: Egyptian Mummies to Blue Jeans tells the compelling story of the world's oldest and best-loved dye, the iconic blue behind one of the world's ubiquitous fabrics: denim. Brilliant photographs and eloquent text describe the process of making indigo dye from plants and how indigo is used. It weaves stories of indigo's producers, its cultural traditions and history, its importance in global trade, and the modern textile artists and fashion designers who are reviving indigo for sustainable development.

Introduction -The Myth and the Magic

From Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Indigo's Heyday, the Downfall of Woad and

Salvation by Denim

Indigo Plants and the Making of their Dye

Blue Nails: Indigo Dyeing Worldwide

The Variety of Decorative Techniques

'For Richer, for Poorer': Textiles Prestigious

and Popular

BlueArt

'In Sickness and in Health': Blue Beards,Blue Bodies

Into the Future

Appendix: Chemical formulae

Glossary

Notes

Select Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Illustration acknowledgements

Index