Arsenic and Old Wallpaper
Gothic romances and the bleak works of the likes of Charles Dickens may paint a dark picture of the Victorian Era; in reality, it was a time of vibrant home fashion trends. Pre-Raphaelite artists drew upon medieval inspiration for their art and chemists created bright colors for interior designs. Among the most popular colors was “Scheele’s Green,” a bright green created using copper arsenite, which contains arsenic. This specific green was discovered by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1775.
Doctors by this time period, were beginning to understand the dangers of arsenic. Chest pain, sore throat (pharyngitis), low blood pressure (hypotension), a feeling of “pins and needles” in your fingers and toes, and red, swollen skin, are just a few of the signs and symptoms associated with arsenic poisoning, per the Cleveland Clinic. In the 21st century, millions of people come into contact with arsenic at higher than the recommended concentrations, imagine how life was in the Victorian Era when arsenic could be found in a number of home products, including wallpaper.
British manufacturers tended to ignore the dangers, pushing upon the edges of confirmation biases. If the arsenic in their own homes was not making them sick, then it could not possibly be the source of a particular mysterious illness causing havoc and death in other Victorian homes. William Morris, artist, social activist, and textile designer wrote to a friend,
‘As to the arsenic scare a greater folly it is hardly possible to image: the doctors were bitten as people were bitten by the witch fever.’
The manufacturers had it partially right, in healthy adults, arsenic does not pose as high of a risk. It is children and the elderly who are easily susceptible to arsenic poisoning.
Potential misrepresentations of the history may be presented by historians as to whether or not the manufacturers knew how dangerous their materials were to the general public. William Morris’ own words present a picture of ignorance, as he believed doctors were creating a public health scare as a hoax. There are cases to the contrary. For one, European nations were banning arsenic containing pigments during the era. “Scheele’s Green,” fell out of favor in the 1860s, following the publicized death of nineteen-year-old Matilda Scheurer. Her job involved dusting artificial plants with “Scheele’s Green.” The article “Pretty Poison-wreaths,” detailed her illness and death. According to the autopsy results, her eyes and fingernails had turned green.
Doctor Thomas Orton furthers the theory about the dangers of arsenic being known, the tie to wallpaper had already been circulating through the medical community. In the Smithsonian article, “Arsenic and Old Tastes Made Victorian Wallpaper Deadly” by Kat Eschner, it was documented that Dr. Orton nursed a family through a mysterious illness. During this outbreak in the home, the family lost four children. The family’s bedroom had green wallpaper.
Green was not the only dangerous color. The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents a different color, one tied to the story of a woman’s deteriorating mental health as she spirals into madness.
“This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had! There is a recurrent sot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside-down.”
William Morris was among the manufacturers who eventually bowed to public pressure, while still being unwilling to relinquish his own beliefs as to the anti-arsenic movement. In the 1870s, Morris began using arsenic-free wallpaper through Jeffrey & Co. The British Government followed the movement, making additional legal changes and regulating the sale of arsenic in the Pharmacy Act of 1868. The prior ruling, the Arsenic Act of 1851, declared that arsenic had to be colored with either soot or indigo. It was remiss in detailing a legal definition of a pharmacist.
Additional Reading:
Saint Louis Art Museum: Death on the doorstep: arsenic in Victorian wallpaper – Saint Louis Art Museum (slam.org)
Smithsonian: Arsenic and Old Tastes Made Victorian Wallpaper Deadly | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine
References:
Eschner, Kat. “Arsenic and Old Tastes Made Victorian Wallpaper Deadly.” Smithsonian (April 3, 2017)
Feldkamp, Katherine. “Death on the doorstep: arsenic in Victorian wallpaper.” SLAM (9/24/2020)
Felson, Sabrina, MD. “When the Walls were Painted with Poison.” WebMD. (4/25/2022)
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper, (1892)
Hulsey, John, Trusty, Ann. “Green Death: The Art History of Arsenic.” ArtistiNetwork (12/6/2023)
Kelleher, Katy. “Scheele’s Green, the Color of Fake Foliage and Death.” The Paris Review. (6/2/2018)
A Victorian Ghost Story 