Hansen, Heather2011-07-112011-07-112011http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/9800Quercitron is a natural dye derived from the inner yellow bark of the black oak tree. Significant because it is one of only two natural dyes with a known discoverer, quercitron receives merely a passing mention in sources of dyeing and printing history, textile design, economic history, and scientific texts. Edward Bancroft discovered quercitron in 1771, received a British patent controlling the distribution of the dye for a period of fourteen years in 1775, and had the patent extended for an additional fourteen-year term in 1785. He introduced the dye to printers in his 1794 manual Experimental Researches Concerning the Philosophy of Permanent Colours. When his patent expired in 1799, quercitron was in high demand among calico printers and the "drab style" prints produced by the dye dominated the textile markets. Generally this is the extent of the quercitron story. This study fills the gaps in the literature by examining the reaction to quercitron from Bancroft‘s contemporaries and comparing the dye to other yellow sources. It investigates processes of production, printing, and distribution of quercitron and explores the relationships and networks of people involved in these processes. Finally this study challenges the notion that natural dyes disappear after the invention of synthetic dyes beginning in 1856. It illustrates quercitron‘s evolution and longevity in the dyeing and printing industry.Bancroft, Edward, 1744-1821Quercitron-bark -- History -- 18th centuryQuercitron-bark -- History -- 19th centuryDyes and dyeing -- History -- 18th centuryDyes and dyeing -- History -- 19th centuryThesis