How did the beautiful and refreshing "Paris Green" become the "deadly fashion color" of the Victorian era?

1862 was a desperate year for Richard and his wife Turner.

Starting in February of that year, their children fell ill with mysterious diseases one after another and died within a few months. Finally, their last child, three-year-old Ann Amelia Turner, also developed the same symptoms. She became extremely weak and unable to swallow, and passed away in pain.

At first, local doctors thought that these children had contracted diphtheria, a respiratory infectious disease that was very common in the 19th century and that did kill many children. But something was a little strange: several children in the Turner family died of the disease one after another, but others who had close contact with them were all safe and sound, which was not like the performance of an infectious disease.

Finally, through the testing of Ann Amelia's remains, chemist Letheby finally discovered the truth: the unfortunate little girl died of arsenic poisoning. What killed her was the green wallpaper that decorated the walls of her bedroom.

Victorian wallpaper pattern | JOHN TODD MERRICK & COMPANY, LONDON, UK, 1845

Deadly fashion color

In 19th century Europe, the pursuit of fashion was far more dangerous than it is today. Delicate celluloid combs could burst into flames when exposed to heat, elegant beaver hats were made using highly toxic mercury salts, and a fascination with bright, vivid emerald green could bring death from arsenic poisoning.

The history of arsenic green pigments began with a substance called "Scheele's Green". In 1775, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele first obtained it in the laboratory. Arsenic trioxide was slowly added to the heated sodium carbonate solution, and then copper sulfate was added. The product was filtered and dried to obtain this green powder that looked a bit like matcha. Its chemical composition was copper hydrogen arsenite.

Twenty-five years later, a more vivid emerald green pigment was created. Often called "Paris green" or "emerald green," the chemical behind it is copper acetate arsenite. Both green pigments are highly toxic. As the saying goes at the time, "a few grains can kill a person" (a grain is about 65 mg).

A can of Paris Green, which was also a rat poison at the time | Madame Talbot

This green pigment can be seen in the works of famous painters such as Van Gogh and Turner. At the same time, it has become surprisingly popular in people's lives.

A veritable Victorian colour, it was used to make printed wallpaper, artificial flowers, wrapping paper and clothing, and even appeared in food and children’s toys. An article published in the British Medical Journal in February 1862 noted that a lady wearing an arsenic green dress was carrying enough poison “to kill all the admirers she met in half a dozen dance halls”.

Arsenic green dress | MONNIN Jacques/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Ghost on the wall

To be fair, it was far more than just green pigment that was problematic in that era, but the vivid Parisian green and the gorgeous wallpapers it was made into were certainly iconic.

Victorian wallpaper pattern | CORBIÈRE, SON & BRINDLE, LONDON, UK, 1879

In the 19th century, bright and gorgeous wallpaper patterns were very popular in Europe and the United States. Many wallpapers depicted floral patterns or large natural landscapes. In order to show their beauty, it was necessary to use large areas of bright green pigments. Arsenic green pigments are not easy to fade and are low in cost, so they are naturally favored by wallpaper manufacturers.

Concerns about these pigments were raised when they were first introduced. In 1815, German chemist Leopold Gmelin wrote in a newspaper article that arsenic pigments were dangerous to use in wallpaper. But it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the dangers really began to gain traction.

"Mary Magdalene" by British painter Frederick Sandys. This painting was created in 1859, and the background of the picture is also the green wallpaper that was very popular in this era.

Since the 1850s, newspapers, magazines and medical journals have published a large number of poisoning cases, and the story of the Turner family is one of them. The wallpaper of the Turner family was torn off in large pieces, and it was played with and eaten by children. This is the most dangerous situation. But even adults who never lick wallpaper cannot escape the curse of the green ghost.

Many cases at the time showed that simply living in a room with arsenic wallpaper was enough to cause a series of poisoning symptoms such as headaches, sore throats, nausea, dizziness, and eye inflammation. Some people also found that they were always unwell at home, and their symptoms were alleviated by recuperation outside. But this was not because the environment of the sanatorium was pleasant, but because the hotel where they lived was reluctant to decorate the room with gorgeous arsenic wallpaper...

Why can't you avoid arsenic poisoning even if you don't lick or touch the wallpaper? An important problem is that the powder of these green pigments always falls off the wallpaper, forming toxic dust that is inhaled by the residents. Good dyes should be firmly bonded to paper or cloth, but arsenic green pigments only stick to the surface in the form of powder. These wallpapers will be "sized" on the surface, but it often does not play a sufficient fixing role. Over time, the green color on the wallpaper will gradually fade, and various things in the room will be covered with a layer of green "dust". In addition, under the influence of humid environment and mold, the arsenic pigments in the wallpaper will undergo chemical changes, producing trimethylarsine gas with a garlic smell, which can also be harmful to health.

Victorian wallpaper pattern | Jules Desfosse, Paris, France, 1879

Hard to guard against

So can you just tear off the wallpaper and rest assured? Not necessarily. The use of these green pigments in the 19th century was so common that even if people did not pursue gorgeous decorations, they might be affected in unexpected places.

For example, a Boston doctor who was troubled by finger pains was eventually found to have been colored with toxic arsenic in the cards he was playing, while children at a Massachusetts orphanage who were experiencing persistent breathing problems and even the death of two infants were found to have been afflicted by the nurses’ uniforms, which also contained arsenic.

Contact with arsenic pigments causes green fingers and skin ulcers | Wellcome Collection

In the mid-19th century, European countries gradually began to legislate to ban the use of arsenic-containing pigments in daily necessities, but in the UK alone, the ban was delayed - this was related to the interests involved in arsenic mining and wallpaper manufacturing.

Death of a female worker

Arsenic green dresses irritate the skin, arsenic-containing wallpapers cause headaches and nausea, but the people who really bear the greatest risk are not consumers, but the people who produce them. In the process of mining and processing arsenic ore and decorating products with green pigments, workers are exposed to far more toxins than consumers. Even in the face of harsh working conditions, they may have no choice.

The most famous case is the death of Matilda Scheurer, a young factory worker. On November 20, 1861, at the age of 19, she died painfully from chronic arsenic poisoning. Scheurer's job was to paint artificial flower decorations, which were made of wax and the leaves were painted with Paris green powder - a process that undoubtedly raised a lot of toxic dust. In the 18 months before her death, she had fallen ill four times for the same reason. Newspaper reports at the time said that she vomited green water, her eyes and fingers turned green, and she convulsed every few minutes in the hours before her death.

A satirical cartoon titled "The Arsenic Waltz" published in the British magazine Punch in 1862, depicting a skeleton wearing an arsenic dress and artificial flowers

In order to replicate the beauty of nature, people chose Scheele Green and Paris Green, but the consequences of these pigments were completely the opposite of "fresh and natural". Now if you appreciate those Victorian-style wallpaper patterns again, you will find that their beauty is quite ironic.

Planning and production

Source: Guokr

Author: Window Knocking on Rain

Editor: Yang Yaping and Qi Yuan

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