Mauve: How one man invented a colour that changed the world by Simon
Garfield, Faber and Faber, 拢9.99, ISBN 0571201970
THE EYES of a French empress made a fortune for William Henry Perkin. Aged
18, he stumbled across a pigment that turned silk a beautifully vivid shade of
purple. But the market for his new dye was limited until Eug茅nie, wife of
Napoleon III, decided that mauve matched her eyes. Suddenly, the French fashion
world went crazy for the colour, and the whole of Europe followed.
For some people, it was all too much. Walking on a Sunday in Hyde Park, the
French historian Hippolyte Taine spotted more brightly coloured dresses than he
had ever seen before in a single place: 鈥淭he glare,鈥� he observed, 鈥渋s
迟别谤谤颈产濒别.鈥�
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In Mauve, Simon Garfield tells the story of Perkin, from lonely
attic lab to international fame and paints a striking picture of the Victorians鈥�
obsession with his colour. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, the
book is more than just a biography of Perkin. Garfield weaves the past with the
present as he tells us just how Perkin鈥檚 discovery changed the world. Suddenly,
chemists realised that with the right product there were big bucks to be made.
The chemicals industry took off. Thank Perkin for drugs, explosives and the
blueberry iMac.
Making chemistry appealing is a challenge at the best of times, but Garfield
rises to it. Mixing contemporary quotes and interesting snippets in his book, he
does enliven what could have been a very dry tale. For the most poignant moment
though, you have to flick through to the back.
After Garfield finished the book, Perkin came to him in his dreams, moaning
about the state of his grave and complaining about the sharp rocks that were
digging into his sides and back. Sadly, he didn鈥檛 tell Garfield where he was
buried. Perkin鈥檚 grave is lost. Maybe readers will be inspired to search out the
missing mausoleum and put Perkin鈥檚 ghost to rest.