No One Saw It Coming Purple Reign: The Teen Who Bottled Royalty
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Nov 17, 2025 Cultural historian Kassia St Clair dives into the fascinating world of purple, once a royal color reserved for the elite. She shares the story of teenager William Perkin, whose lab accident led to the creation of synthetic purple dye, forever changing fashion. Kassia reveals how Perkin's invention sparked a cultural revolution and made color accessible to everyone, along with purple's evolving meanings, from royalty to modern symbols of identity. Tune in for a captivating journey through history and chemistry!
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Teenager's Lab Mistake Became Mauve
- William Perkin accidentally created a purple dye while trying to synthesize quinine in a makeshift home lab.
- He tested it on cloth, found it colourfast, and pursued it instead of discarding the result.
Colourfastness Made It Commercially Viable
- The accidental purple proved colourfast and washable, a major technical advantage over many dyes then.
- That durability made it commercially valuable and scalable in a factory setting.
Rapid Patent And Family-Funded Factory
- Perkin applied for a patent within six months and convinced his family to fund a factory near Harrow.
- He set up a company with his father and brother to produce mauve commercially.
