A Quest for Red

    A Perfect Red by Amy Greenfield is a work intended for a popular audience that nonetheless contains thorough research and detailed accounts into the importance of Red in European society and the way in which cochineal came to be central to the production of that color. Greenfield, much like the last book we read, does an excellent job at describing the physical processes that enable the creation of the product. It is incredible the amount of work an attention that harvesting the insects required. With this in mind it is of no surprise that the production of cochineal remained largely in native hands throughout the period of Spanish rule; something that would remain true until the 1800s. It was also intriguing that it was the desire to know the secret of cochineal that became a major motivation behind the scientific revolution. The political clout that cochineal possessed is a testament to its value, but at the same time its resistance to economies of scale meant that it remained a luxury good. Which raises the question to whether a commodity must eventually move into the realm of mass consumption and demand like the other products we have seen.