Divi-divi, a South American product, came into use only at the end of the sixteenth century and has not stood the test of time.
This sifting process completely eliminated all but lampblack, madder and indigo in some form as a permanent "added" color pigment. Lampblack, which is we know forms the basis of "Indian" ink, is not soluble and requires a very heavy gummy vehicle to prevent its immediate precipitation, and while it could have been used in combination with tanno-gallate of iron as an ink, the fact that it was possible to chemically remove the ancient inks which remained black, was a sufficient demonstration that this carbon substance, which is not affected by chemicals, either as contained in the fluid ink or as dusted on after writing, could have formed no part of the ancient tanno-gallate of iron inks.
Madder is mentioned as of very ancient times and was cultivated in Europe as early as the tenth century;its addition to an iron and gall ink is said to be an invention of the year 1855; it is certain, however, that it was used for a like purpose as early as 1826, and a fair presumption that it was frequently employed in some form during the preceding four centuries. It has under certain conditions very lasting properties as the madder-dyed cloths found wrapped around Egyptian mummies demonstrates, but does not assist the tanno-gallate of iron to retain its black color; on the contrary it seems to lessen this quality.
That indigo for added color was employed by ink manufacturers in the eighteenth century is shown by the formulas appearing in the literature of that time.
