New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Nabil Ali, "Gold from Newton's Apple Tree: Historical Recipes for Natural Inks, Paints, and Dyes" (Princeton UP, 2026)
Apr 14, 2026
Nabil Ali, a research artist at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, explores historical recipes for making natural inks, paints, and dyes. He discusses seasonal harvesting and preservation, practical studio methods and testing, transforming Newton’s apple-tree bark into a golden dye, and surprising results like vivid greens from iris and ongoing experiments with hibiscus.
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Plant Maturity Controls Dye Color
- Seasonal plant stage alters color potential, so harvest timing matters for specific hues.
- Example: unripe buckthorn in May–June yields yellow, ripe berries give green; drying stores colour for later use.
Follow A Modular Framework For Plant Pigments
- Use a simple framework when making plant-based pigments to avoid random results.
- Nabil Ali breaks ingredients into plant parts, fillers, liquids, preservatives, binders, and mordants and tests combinations systematically.
Prevent Mold By Using Alcohol Or Preservatives
- Preserve extracted dyes by choosing the right liquid or adding preservatives to prevent mold.
- Ali found white wine or high-alcohol spirits and additives like grapefruit seed extract or cloves greatly reduce spoilage compared with plain water.
