AATCC Materials Featured by Science History Institute

A new exhibit titled BOLD: Color from Test Tube to Textile at the Science History Institute includes several items related to AATCC test methods. When you visit the (free!) museum, keep an eye out for the crockmeter and wrinkle tester as well as information about AATCC Standard Reference Detergent. The institute reached out to AATCC for objects that “suggest the technical complexities and science behind everyday objects.”

Drawing on dye sample books, vivid clothing, and scientific instruments, BOLD: Color from Test Tube to Textiles explores more than 150 years of efforts to expand our access to color. This exhibition takes visitors on a colorful journey through the history of science, with stops at coal mines, factory floors, and fashion runways.

But color comes at a cost. The pursuit of new and brighter dyes has at times harmed humans and environments. BOLD examines scientists’ efforts to understand these impacts and the efforts of dye makers to produce color more sustainably…for people and for places.

The Science History Institute collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the past by exploring lesser-known and sometimes overlooked stories from the history of science and technology. Several of these stories feature textiles and as a member of the Affiliates Council, AATCC has been an important part of telling the stories.

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