Quiz
In Victorian England, a vibrant pigment called Scheele's Green was widely used in home wallpapers, but it was later found to release a deadly toxic gas when damp. What toxic chemical element was the primary ingredient in this dangerous dye?
Chapter 1
The colors of power and empire
Chapter 2
The deadly shades of home decor
Chapter 3
Pigments from bizarre and taboo sources
Chapter 4
The modern battles for exclusive colors
YOUR GOAL
Master of The forbidden history of colors
Ch 2 · The deadly shades of home decor
choko Victorian Arsenic Green Wallpaper
Vivid green walls / laced with arsenic / breathing deadly dust
BETA
choko Sort vintage wallpapers and paints to discover which home decor shades were secretly lethal.
Fun Fact
Wallpaper poison: Rumors suggest Napoleon Bonaparte died on Saint Helena because of arsenic leaking from his green bedroom wallpaper.
Glossary
Vinegar and manure (noun)
The ancient ingredients used to corrode lead sheets into toxic lead white pigment. Acidic vapors and warm gases transformed metal into brilliant paint, showing how pristine home decor literally arose from filth.
The ancient ingredients used to corrode lead sheets into toxic lead white pigment. Acidic vapors and warm gases transformed metal into brilliant paint, showing how pristine home decor literally arose from filth.
Quiz
Which ancient ingredients were used to corrode lead and produce toxic lead white pigment?
choko In the early 1900s, factory workers were poisoned by licking paintbrushes dipped in radioactive, glow-in-the-dark paint.
choko Despite knowing its toxic effects, artists and aristocrats used lead white for centuries to achieve pale skin and luminous paintings.
Glossary
arsenic (noun)
A toxic chemical element with the symbol As, notorious for its use as a lethal poison. In 1879, Queen Victoria ordered Buckingham Palace's arsenical green wallpaper removed after a guest became ill.
A toxic chemical element with the symbol As, notorious for its use as a lethal poison. In 1879, Queen Victoria ordered Buckingham Palace's arsenical green wallpaper removed after a guest became ill.
Quiz
Which famous artist suffered from lead poisoning, likely caused by licking his paintbrushes?
Quiz
During which decades was the original 'Radioactive Red' Fiestaware dinnerware manufactured?
Quiz
What gas was released when mold reacted with Scheele's green wallpaper in damp rooms?