With the passing of Sidney Edelstein the Society for the History of Technology has lost an irreplaceable friend. Industrialist, bibliophile, and scholar, Edelstein was never happier than when discussing the intricacies of ancient and modern dyestuffs and pigments or the early years of his own career in the field of textile chemistry. Most historians of technology know about Sidney Edelstein mainly through SHOT’s annual Dexter Prize, which Dexter Chemicals has sponsored since 1968, and through the generous support that enabled Melvin Kranzberg to bring SHOT through its early years. Sidney Edelstein’s field of vision, however, was vast and often hidden by his gentleness and modesty. His spectrum of activities was as broad as that of the colors he loved and lived for.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Edelstein was an outstanding pupil of chemistry at the Baylor School. He entered MIT at the age of sixteen to study chemistry and later in his course took a special interest in the application of microscopy to the study of cellulosic fibers. Returning home, he applied his experience to the needs of the local textile industry, for which mercerization, the treatment of cotton with alkali to enhance sheen and improve dyeing qualities, was a major, but not always well-understood, activity. His success led to a research appointment with the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), followed by posts in industry. Among other things, Edelstein improved the luster of cotton, enabling it to compete with the new rayon. By the end of the 1930s, he was an acknowledged specialist in the use of mercerization to make cotton goods shrink resistant.
Shortly before the United States entered the Second World War, Edelstein applied his expertise in mercerization to help the Army Quartermaster Corps bring about improvements in the production of mosquito netting. Subsequently, he tackled problems related to the production of camouflage fabrics by studying past technology, namely, the patents of John Mercer, the English colorist who in the mid-19th century discovered the process later named after him. Mercer’s work led Edelstein to experiment with a zinc-based process. This solved the outstanding difficulties, and billions of yards of fabric treated by the new process were supplied to Allied forces. The outcome of Edelstein’s reputation in problem solving related to textile processing and finishing was the founding of Dexter Chemical Corporation in New York during 1945.
In 1940, Edelstein began to collect books and documents related to the history of alchemy and chemistry. Three years later this interest was extended to the history of dyeing technologies. By the end of the 1940s his publications on research into textile processing were joined by scholarly and popular articles on historical topics. With the intention of introducing practitioners in the field of textile chemistry to the history of their profession, many of his historical articles were published in the pages of the American Dyestuff Reporter. Edelstein also chaired the archives committee of the AATCC. Frequently, his interests in modern textile-related problems stimulated an investigation of the past. This was especially the case with static electricity and bleaching. In 1972, thirty of Edelstein’s historical articles were brought together in Historical Notes on the Wet-Processing Industry, a highly readable introduction for specialist and general reader alike.
Edelstein’s interest in the chemical past brought new friendships, mainly amateurs like himself interested in the history of alchemy, chemistry, and chemical technology. He encouraged the development and expansion of this interest as secretary of the history of chemistry division of the American Chemical Society, a post that he held for eighteen years. Appropriately, in 1956, during the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the discovery of William Perkin’s mauve (the first aniline dye), Edelstein’s contributions to science and technology were acknowledged with an honorary D.Sc. awarded by the then Lowell Technological Institute. To ensure that historians of chemistry received recognition for their achievements, in 1958 he set up the annual Dexter Award for outstanding contributions to the history of chemistry.
A fascination with natural colorants took Edelstein on expeditions to Mexico to study ancient technology still in action, namely, the use of the cochineal insect as a crimson dye and of a local sea snail as a source of purple. His wish to know more about medieval dyeing in Europe led to a study of the alum industry and publication, jointly with Hector C. Borghetty, of the Plictho of Gioanventura Rosetti (Cambridge, Mass., 1969), a translation of the first printed book devoted to dyeing (1548).
Sidney Edelstein lived by his dictum that “the reason for the company [Dexter Chemical] is not just to make money but to be useful.” He gave generously to a wide range of community projects in the United States and, from 1960, extended his philanthropic interests to Israel, where, jointly with his wife, Mildred, he supported health care, day care, and educational projects. Frequent visits to Israel also provided a new dimension to the investigation of ancient colorants. At the request of the Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin, Edelstein analyzed dyed fabrics from the Bar Kochba caves near the Dead Sea and, with David Abrahams of Dexter, developed a novel technique for extraction of dyes that found use in archaeological chemistry. He examined the origins of the famed royal or Tyrian purple and the biblical blue, again derived from sea snails, and set up an interdisciplinary research team to investigate these colors. The results were published in The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue (Jerusalem, 1987).
In 1976, Edelstein donated his collection of some 5,000 books and documents dealing with the history of science and technology to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where it is now housed in the Edelstein Library at the Jewish National and University Library. Four years later, the Sidney M. Edelstein Center for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine was established at the Hebrew University to encourage use of the Edelstein Library and related resources, including the Einstein Archive and a collection of Isaac Newton’s manuscripts in the National and University Library.
Sidney and Mildred Edelstein were always generous hosts, and at after-dinner sessions Sidney never failed to fascinate listeners with his remarkable stories about the technical and cultural history of natural colorants. In 1990, participants at the Edelstein Center’s first international workshop on the history of chemical technology were delighted with his impromptu account of the characteristics of the root of the madder plant, from which the important red dye used in Turkey red dyeing and calico printing was obtained.
A deep interest in advancements of Israel’s textile industry brought Edelstein into contact with the Shenkar College of Textile Technology and Fashion, Ramat-Gan, near Tel Aviv, where in 1991 he set up the Edelstein Center for Analysis of Ancient Textiles. The Jerusalem and Shenkar Edelstein centers and the Edelstein Library constitute a unique resource for the study of dyes from antiquity to the present. Moreover, Edelstein maintained close links with American historians of chemistry through the Chemical Heritage Foundation (Philadelphia), which administers the Edelstein International Fellowships in the history of chemistry and chemical technologies. These provide opportunities for graduate students and senior scholars to benefit from resources in Philadelphia and Israel.
Edelstein’s many contributions to the Society for the History of Technology, and to Technology and Culture, were recognized with the award of the Leonardo da Vinci Medal in 1988; his contributions toward the history of textile technology were recognized with the exhibition “From Turkey Red to Tyrian Purple: Textile Colours for the Industrial Revolution,” celebrating fifty years of his collection in this field, held at the Hebrew University during the winter of 1993–94. To the end, Sidney Edelstein never wavered in his enthusiasm for promoting the history of technology as an international pursuit. In 1994, it was his generous support that enabled scholars from Eastern Europe to attend the ICOHTEC (International Committee for the History of Technology) meeting in Bath, England.
Sidney Edelstein will be greatly missed by his family and many friends and colleagues, but they and others will continue to gain much from his rich legacy.
Anthony S. Travis
Originally published as Anthony S. Travis, “Sidney Milton Edelstein (1912–1994),” Technology and Culture 37, no. 1 (1996): 216–19, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tech.1996.0142.
Edelstein, Sidney M., and Moshe Ron. Bibliotheca Tinctoria: Annotated Catalog of the Sidney M. Edelstein Collection in the History of Bleaching, Dyeing, Finishing, and Spot Removing. Jerusalem: Jewish National and University Library, 1991.
“The Leonardo da Vinci Medal.” Technology and Culture 30, no. 3 (1989): 612-620. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tech.1989.0059.
Herzog, Isaac. The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue: Argaman and Tekhelet: The Study of Chief Rabbi Dr. Isaac Herzog on the Dye Industries in Ancient Israel and Recent Scientific Contributions. Jerusalem: Keter, 1987.
Edelstein, Sidney M., and Hector. C. Borghetty. The Plictho: Instructions in the Art of the Dyers Which Teaches the Dyeing of Woolen Cloths, Linens, Cottons, and Silk by the Great Art as well as by the Common. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1969.
Edelstein, Sidney M. “Dyeing Fabrics in Sixteenth-Century Venice.” Technology and Culture 7, no. 3 (1966): 395–97. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/894585.
Edelstein, Sidney M. ““Matkel” or “Mackel”.” Technology and Culture 6, no. 3 (1965): 444. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/894680.
Edelstein, Sidney M. “The Allerley Matkel (1532): Facsimile Text, Translation, and Critical Study of the Earliest Printed Book on Spot Removing and Dyeing.” Technology and Culture 5, no. 3 (1964): 297–321. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/894849.
The Sidney Edelstein Prize (previously the Dexter Prize) awarded by the Society for the History of Technology recognizes an outstanding scholarly book on a topic related to the history of technology.