[TURKEY1.] A brilliant and permanent red color produced on cotton goods, essentially a madder red in combination with oil or fat, with an aluminous mordant. Also called Adrianople or Levant red. Also attrib.
1789. Trans. Soc. Arts, I. 19. Dying Turkey red.
1799. Med. Jrnl., I. 168. A whole month’s labour is scarcely sufficient to terminate the different operations thought necessary to obtain the fine Turkey red, called Adrianople.
1799. Monthly Rev., XXX. 561. The art of dyeing cotton scarlet, or turkey-red, was imported into France by Greek families.
1801. Encycl. Brit., Suppl. II. 393/2. Turkey-Red, Levant-Red and Adrianople-Red, the names indifferently given to that beautiful red dye which distinguishes the cotton manufactured in the Ottoman empire.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 545. P. J. Papillon established a dyehouse at Glasgow, for giving to cotton-yarn that beautiful colour known by the name of Turkey or Adrianople red.
1838. T. Thomson, Chem. Org. Bodies, 396. The first Turkey-red work in Great Britain was established about 50 years ago in Glasgow by M. Papillon.
1844. G. Dodd, Textile Manuf., ii. 74. About a century ago some Greek dyers were invited to settle in France, where they introduced the art of Turkey-red dyeing.
1862. Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit., II. No. 4329. Turkey red goods. Ibid., No. 4340. Turkey red plain and printed cottons.
1877. O’Neill, in Encycl. Brit., VII. 576/1.
1899. Westm. Gaz., 10 Aug., 2/1. Before the days of Turkey-red dyeing and calico-printing. Ibid., 2 Dec., 9/1. It is a turkey-red dyeing firm.
b. Cotton cloth of this color.
1880. J. Dunbar, Pract. Papermaker, 72. For pink blottings furnish two thirds of white cottons and one third of turkey reds.
1882. Caulfeild & Saward, Dict. Needlework, 503. Turkey Red, a cotton cambric, of a bright scarlet colour of indelible dye … originally imported from Turkey.
