Research on the red color of the Lielvarde woven belt in Latvia

The history of Latvian textiles encompasses a wide variety of woven bands, primarily from the 19th century. These were handwoven in multiple colors and techniques, many of which served as waistbands. One group—Lielvarde type woven belts—is included in the list of the Latvian Cultural Canon because of its decorativeness and sophisticated ornamentation. Today, it has become one of the symbols of Latvian cultural heritage. However, we know almost nothing about their dating or the dyes used for the woven yarns. The lack of information in the museum documentation stems from the historically developed specifics of creating textile collections in Latvia. Dye analyses, color measurements, and research on historical sources about the spread of dyestuffs in Latvia can provide new insights into the dyes used for Lielvarde belts. Yarn samples from five historical textiles, kept in the collections of three Latvian museums (Liepaja History Museum, Andrejs Pumpurs Lielvarde Museum, and Limbazi Museum), were utilized in the study. Color spectrum measurements defined the color and degree of brightness for each sample. Microscopic magnification of the samples revealed that the color intensity inside the thread matches the outside, indicating high light fastness. We can identify the dyes used in the Lielvārde belts through research of written sources and chemical analyses of historical and dyed reference samples. In some cases, these analyses could clarify the dating of these objects, which was often determined based on subjective considerations. The practical dyeing experiments conducted within the research framework can provide information on specific dyeing recipes that can be applied today