identification of the organic dyes used on a historic textile by scientific analysis has always required removal of a sample, laborious procedures and/or expensive equipment, an extensive reference library of known materials, and significant analytical experience. Inorganic dyes, the so-called “mineral dyes,” can be characterized in a more direct fashion using energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. This quick and non-destructive technique has been applied to nine quilts in the Winterthur collection in a cooperative effort of curator, conservators and scientists. The resulting data are integrated with information from nineteenth century manuals on the use of mineral dyes.