When the ancient Egyptians came to decorate the works of art that they buried with their Pharaohs, they used a blue pigment of such brilliance that it would enhance the quality and value of any object. The pigment was derived from the semi-precious mineral, Lapis Lazuli, and it continued to be used for many centuries.
The quality of the blue produced by this method was never in question. But the scarce availability and difficulty of extracting the pigment meant that the cost was high and that the pigment could only be used in the most prestigious applications. It was clear that a rich prize awaited anyone who could devise a synthetic route to manufacture this pigment, which is now known as Ultramarine Blue.
The process for the synthetic manufacture of Ultramarine was discovered in 1828 by a French scientist, Guimet. Soon there were factories springing up all over Europe, as the more affordable synthetic pigment stimulated the use of Ultramarine in many applications. Of particular note was the discovery that a small amount of Ultramarine would, if added to the rinse water during the laundering process, absorb the unwanted yellow undertone, which became apparent as white clothing aged. This unwanted yellow caste was replaced by a blue undertone that suggested extra brightness and cleanliness. In fact it was for this purpose in 1884 that James Reckitt built an Ultramarine factory in Hull to extend his range of existing laundry products. This factory was still producing Ultramarine under the name of Holliday Pigments Limited up until 2007, and today – from its Comines factory in North France – remains one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of Ultramarine Blue.