The Deadly History of the Victorian Green Dye
The Scheele Green Dye being used in wallpapers, clothing, and ornaments was a beautiful, silent, and deadly killer for many.
19th century Britain had its fair share of mysteries, but none as deathly and conspicuous as the one behind the arsenic-laden green dye. Many families grieved the untimely loss of their children, but little did they know that the one responsible for that death is that emerald green wallpaper in their house. What follows below is the story of how everyone learned, the hard way around, to avoid the in-vogue green dye.
The Discovery of Scheele Green
Are you still wrapping your head around how a color laced with arsenic poison became so popular and why customers continued to use it despite its side effects? For that, we will have to dig a little into Victorian history.
Even though every imaginable dye is readily available nowadays, that wasn’t true for the Victorian era. Many complained about the shades washing out and of the pigments’ poor mimicry of the real-life colors. Being unable to replicate the…
