Roussillon of the past, and today
Around 1834, in the United States, an ironmonger, Charles Goodyear (no relation to the tires!) discovered the process of vulcanisation, allowing for natural rubbers to be hardened. For almost 150 years, owing to its fineness, ochre served as an impalpable mineral filling used to thicken and colour rubber and provide strong, flexible objects such as tires, boots, gloves, linoleum and jar seals.
