Identification by solution spectrophotometry of dyes in museum textiles is described for a nonprofessional reader. For identification techniques to supply reliable answers, authentic known comparative material is of primary importance. Several examples are given. A group of textiles from Peruvian mummy bundles dating from 100 BC-100 AD were dyed with relbunium, a dye related to madder. Purple cloth from the Oaxaca region of Mexico was dyed not with a purple dye, but with a mixture of indigo and red dye. A 12th-century coronation mantle from Palermo, Sicily was dyed with cochineal from the kermes insect. Navajo blankets were dyed red with lac insect dye from India.