Join our museum’s Gallery Guides for a “drop-in” tour highlighting the remarkable scientific properties of natural dyes and textiles, the technology behind synthetic clothing, and the impact of fashion on human health and the environment. 

Have you ever thought about the science behind the contents of your closet? The technology that produces our modern clothing is the result of an unlikely collaboration between prehistoric humans, an 18-year-old chemist in Victorian London, and a Harvard professor employed by DuPont on the eve of World War II.  

Our Dyes & Textiles Tour bridges content from our BOLD exhibition and our permanent exhibition, offering a broad picture of the scientific developments that shifted clothing production from the home to the factory to the laboratory. 


Drop-in tours are free and no reservations are necessary.

More events

Book cart decorated as a woolly mammoth
August 12, 2026
Free

Othmer Library Tour

Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History!

A stylized depiction of fireworks with yellow and red bursts against a dark background, related to the history of fireworks.
August 15, 2026
Drop-In Tours

Fireworks Tour

Join our museum educators for a drop-in tour of our special exhibition on the fascinating history and science of pyrotechnics.

Thomas Paine and Joseph Priestley are seated at a table with guns, knives, a dish says phospherous, a gun butt says "Royal Electric fluid." A winged puti grins at them squatting in the center of the table. Books on treason, murders, assistination, revolution, etc. surround them. At Priestley's feat are packages of brimstone, axe and pickax. On the walls are scenes of execution and assassinations.
August 15, 2026
For Families

Stories of Science: Revolutionary Ideas with Thomas Paine!

Join us as we welcome Thomas Paine—patriot, pamphleteer, AND SCIENTIST—as presented by reenactor Dean Howarth.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.