Indigo was used throughout history for its medicinal and textile dying properties, but the first use of indigo in modern science was for microscopy. Even a century after Antonie van Leeuwenhoek’s microscope (1632–1723), there were few options to make clear cells visible beyond the standard pigments used in paints and dyes. Indigo was among the first stains used to visualize cells under a microscope. In the mid-1700s, indigo was processed to a form of indigo dye now referred to as indigocarmine, a type of modified natural indigo. Synthetic indigo and aniline dyes largely replaced plant-based indigo in textiles, medicine, and science in the 1800’s.
To create this work, Drs. Brooke and Benjamin Dubansky
processed and stained archived slides from decades of
research. They used a modified version of Ramón Y Cajal’s
(1852–1934) Picroindigocarmine, where picric acid adds
yellow to blend with deep blues and greens in connective
tissues, then added Kernechtrot Nuclear Fast Red to color
the cell nuclei. These large-scale images of their
research were arranged, imaged, and processed to depict an
accurate representation of the live image, then
transferred to a digital print format. Other collaborators
on this project include Christopher Just, Dr. Brandon
Ballengée, and Dr. Mark Nigles. This work was conducted
under the umbrella of Le Bleu Perdu (The Lost
Blue), a multifaceted research project involving the
cultivation and extraction of indigo in Louisiana. To see
another work in this publication connected to
Le Bleu Perdu, find the
indigo-dyed camp dress
made
by Mrs. LouAnn Moses, a member of the Coco Tribe of
Canneci Tinne.