Fashion in the Golden Age

The Economic Importance of Dyes from the Indies

When the Castilians arrived in the Indies, they were amazed by the beauty and intensity of the colours used by the indigenous cultures. There, they discovered materials, dyes, and dyeing techniques that were new to them, which Spain skilfully commercialised for centuries. With the rise of new fabrics and dyes from the Indies, the expansion of Europe’s largest industrial activity—textile production—was consolidated. After gold and silver, the trade in these revolutionary dyes generated the greatest profits for the Crown and the merchants who supplied them.

The impact of these new dyes on the markets was so profound that both European growers of dye plants and Asian dye merchants were affected. The whole of Europe coveted control over these American dye-producing regions, leading to armed conflicts. Since privateers could not easily attack the ships of the Carrera de Indias, they targeted the defenceless coastal settlements where these valuable products were sourced.

The Most Campechean Plant That Dressed the Spanish Empire

The Most Campechean Plant That Dressed the Spanish Empire

The Logwood, or dyewood, is a plant from the legume family, native to Mesoamerica, specifically the Yucatán Peninsula and Guatemala. Its importance was such that its trade led to the origin of the Caribbean nation of Belize.

From this plant, a dye is extracted that can produce various colours such as black, brown, or a sepia-like tone.

Its ability to permanently bind to fabrics produced an intense, glossy black colour known as “raven’s wing,” which set the fashion trend in the Spanish Empire and in other countries that sought to imitate it.

The Intolerant Spanish Court Was So Gloomy, Dark, and Dismal That It Always Dressed in Black… Really?!

Portrait of Philip II, by Sofonisba Anguissola.

In the Golden Age, Dressing in Black Was the Ultimate Symbol of Elegance… Much Like Tuxedos Today.

Before the Castilians arrived in the Indies, obtaining such a deep, lustrous black dye was nearly impossible to maintain over time. Wearing black was, therefore, one of the greatest symbols of wealth and ostentation. That’s the real reason the Spanish court dressed in black—they were in full ceremonial attire.

Let’s not forget that, until quite recently, in our great-grandmothers’ and grandmothers’ generation, brides often wore black dresses.

The original painting is housed in the Prado Museum and was created by the artist Sofonisba Anguissola.

To dress 'in the Spanish style'

The Spanish Golden Age, which was more than a single century but two, coincides with the rise of the political, military, and cultural hegemony of the Spanish Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries. The development of sciences, arts, technology, and the expansion of the Spanish language, thanks to that global dominance, made the rest of Europe eager to imitate the dominant power. In Europe, “dressing in the Spanish style” became the trend.

Foreigners dressing 'Spanish style' in Spain

Traders from all over Europe settled in Seville, drawn by the wealth coming from the Indies. They lived fully integrated in Spain, even having the freedom to practice their religion, even if it was not Catholicism.

By 1665, it is estimated that there were nearly seven thousand of them in the city. One of those who arrived was the Dutchman Josua van Belle.

These wealthy traders displayed their opulence, as could be expected, through their way of dressing, providing work to many workshops, and in the case of our protagonist, to artists such as the great Sevillian painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

Trying to imitate the rich.

The way the poor dressed, or as they were known, the “common people,” had nothing in common with the nobility’s fashion. As in other eras, fashion was a clear distinguishing feature between social classes. However, they tried to emulate the rich and wore black, even though the dyes were of much lower quality. Disinherited nobles, students, rogues, and artisans—many people, as happens today, tried to pass for what they were not, and what better way to do that than by dressing in strict black, like the young man in this painting.

The painting was created by another immortal Seville artist, Diego Velázquez. Its name is *Old Woman Frying Eggs* and it is housed in The National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh.

...But sometimes there was not even enough for clothes.

On many occasions in his native Seville, Don Bartolomé Esteban Murillo would have witnessed with his own eyes the departures and arrivals of the ships from the Carrera de Indias.

Despite the opulence and splendor of one of the richest cities in the world, the streets were filled with beggars, many of them children, and a good number of them orphans, trying to survive as best they could. Footwear was an unattainable luxury for them, as was clothing, which became too small with the passage of months.

And we continue with black.

The three musicians are located in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

In this other painting by Diego de Velázquez, one of the earliest he painted, we can again see “common people” dressed in black. In this case, it shows two musicians drinking and eating, with two of them dressed in black.

Is there life beyond black?

Thanks to the great expertise of the indigenous peoples of the Indies, who developed a true science of dyes, we know a wide variety of colorants besides Campeche wood, such as cochineal, indigo, and annatto.

The Mexican cochineal is an insect that grows on the pads of a variety of cacti, the prickly pear, and from which a red or crimson dye is extracted, known as cochineal, carmine cochineal, and in Mexico as nekchectli.

It was of great importance in pre-Hispanic cultures, being used to dye feathers, wood, textiles, ceramics, houses, and even food. The Paracas culture of Peru used cochineal to dye their textiles.

The description of dyes in the Spanish chronicles.

Gary Francisco Keller, a work created under the supervision of Bernardino de Sahagún between 1540-1585. – The Digital Edition of the Florentine Codex, CC BY 3.0..

Another of the dyes brought from America was the Maya blue, also called indigo or añil, which was extracted from a plant in the legume family. Bernardino de Sahagún, in his Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España.
Gary Francisco Keller, artwork created under supervision of Bernardino de Sahagún between 1540-1585. – The Digital Edition of the Florentine Codex, CC BY 3.0, mentions how the pigment was extracted from the plant. It was introduced by the Spanish in Guatemala and El Salvador from 1524, reaching its peak around 1760 when it became a highly demanded export product, creating an economic elite among its merchants. It is likely that it was the indigo that gave the bluish tint to the lace collars when they were starched.The original book, also known as the Codex Florentino, is held at the Medicean Laurentian Library in Florence, Italy. The images are the property of: [image caption].

Black on white

Felipe II, aware of the substantial profits that could be made from the American dyes, decided to reserve black for the court and red for the church.

On the other hand, black enhanced the white of the lace collars, ruffs, and cuffs. But black was also used as a symbol of superiority over his enemies, in what was wrongly called the Spanish sobriety.

The decline of black in European fashion.

The Meeting of Louis XIV and Philip IV of Spain on the Isle of the Pheasants, by Jacques Laumosnier, created in 1660. It is located in the Musée de Tessé, Le Mans, France.

The fashion for black in the Spanish court would remain present until the arrival of the Bourbons. There is a very representative image of the moment when this change took place: the presentation of Infanta María Teresa of Austria, daughter of Charles IV, to Louis XIV of France. This image marks the death sentence for black. On the left, the colors of the French court, symbolizing Baroque and the strength of the country; on the right, the Spanish court with the last remnants of black.

Although the first Bourbon, Philip V, maintained the black attire during the early years of his reign, it was a political move to win the favor of the people.