“Clothes make the man,” says a famous proverb by Gottfried Keller, but few know chemistry’s role here. Adolf Jenny-Trümpy’s colorful fabric sample books from the 18th and 20th centuries provide a vivid demonstration. Available for the first time as an online catalog, the volumes provide a virtual insight into the fine art of textile dyeing and reveal sophisticated chemical compounds, valuable cow dung, useful insects, and fabric prints that transformed Switzerland into a textile powerhouse.