Première édition de cet ouvrage rare et important. Chevreul, chimiste et directeur de la manufacture des Gobelins, mécontent du rendu visuel des couleurs des tapisseries fabriquées à Paris, chercha une solution, par le biais de la chimie, en étudiant la fixation des pigments. "Chevreul's immediate task at Gobelins was to work on the improvement of color intensity and fastness in wools. He had been selected for this position because he was an outstanding chemist; and his initial studies were on the chemical aspects of dyes and dyeing, attempting to place the art of dyeing on a more rational basis than the complicated and empirical procedures then employed. He embarked upon a thorough study of the natural properties of natural dyes and between 1838 and 1864 published several important papers in the Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences, reviewing the chemistry and technology of dyeing. These papers and 'Leçons de chimie appliqué à la teinture' (1829-1830) rendered an important service to the dye industry during the years prior to the advent of synthetic dyestuffs" (DSB).