We were on a family holiday in the Lake district when we came across a place called Backbarrow where there used to be a dye works where they made (or used to make) Reckitt's Blue which was a little block of blue pigment with a cloth covering which people added to their wash, in pre-biological detergent days, to give it that "blue whiteness." The whole area was littered with this stuff dumped by the side of the road, some of it intact in its packaging some of it crumbling to blue powder. The colour was the exact ultramarine of International Klein Blue and it transformed the whole village - basically one street and a river, also stained blue - into an unintentional art installation. I seem to remember we took home boxes of the stuff. It's all gone now and the works is an hotel.
It used to be Dolly Blue.
"Reckitts
Rugby League Club are the oldest amateur rugby league club in Hull.
We were established in 1911 and are celebrating our 90th anniversary this year.
The club was formed by members of the large pharmaceutical company Reckitt and
Colman who, initially, played inter-departmental games prior to having other
opposition to pit their skills against."
Exported all over the world. Aborigines in Australia, lacking a naturally occuring blue pigment of their own, used the Reckitt's Blue that missionaries brought with them for their rock art.
"For most of the 20th century, root doctors, hoodoo practitioners, and spiritualists who have wanted to work with the blue colour of copper while avoiding toxic side-effects have found it easier to utilize crystalized or liquid laundry blueing such as Reckitt's Crown Blue squares, Mrs. Stewart's liquid blueing, or the hand-made so-called "blue balls" (anil) from Mexico, shown here. Any of these products can safely take the place of copper sulphate; they typically consist of washing soda coloured with an aniline dye.
Some hoodoo and spiritist protection spells call for "blue water" to keep a residence clear of evil spirits. This use of blue water seems to derive from Mediterranean beliefs, in which both the colour blue and liquids such as water are used to keep away and to cure the damage done by the evil eye. Blue water should NOT be made from bluestone, especially if it is to be used for ritual hand-washing or sprinkling. Only laundry blueing should be used for this.
In short, the blue colour of copper sulphate can be safely duplicated in the form of laundry blueing and, in the interest of health, i would recommend that any time you see an old magical spell that calls for bluestone, you substitute liquid blueing, Reckitt's Crown Blue, or Mexican anil balls. The latter are particularly versatile: the small balls can be carried with herbs or roots in a mojo bag, and the large ones are easy to dissolve in water to set out in pans around a location to keep away evil, or made into a purifying floor wash."
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