Visit Freshford House but don’t lick the wallpaper!

Wallpaper was a huge decor trend during the Victorian Era (1837-1901). But not just any wallpaper – Scheele’s Green wallpaper. Victorian wallpaper was brightly coloured and often full of floral designs. Green wallpaper used to fade quickly and turn an undesirable brown shade.  This all changed in 1775 when the Swedish chemist Carl Scheele invented the first arsenic green pigment. In 19th-century England people considered small doses of arsenic safe and used it for an assortment of products. It found its way into food, textiles, medicine, and other common goods, so using it in wallpaper did not raise any eyebrows. Unfortunately this meant that people’s homes became potential death traps. The ink flaking off the paper could be inhaled, while moisture, abrasion, or heat caused the release of toxic vapours.

By the middle of the century reports of mysterious illnesses and deaths of small children or even entire families was not uncommon. It was only in the late 1860s that doctors connected these mysterious deaths with the presence of the luminous green wallpaper.

Despite overwhelming evidence the demands to outlaw the manufacture of arsenical products were ignored by successive parliaments. “The wealth of industry was, it seemed, more important than the health of the people”. When Victorians stopped buying these “killer” products it was economic pressure not ethics which finally forced manufacturers to find alternatives.

Their love of the colour green is clearly visible at Freshford House Museum, built in 1897 (example of late Victorian architecture). Green paint and wallpaper is a main feature throughout the house. Luckily no Scheele’s Green wallpaper was used in the house.

We are excited to welcome visitors back to Freshford House Museum, 31 Kellner Street.

𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁: Sudre Havenga l HOD: Collections Management and Library l National Museum

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:

Bly, R.N. Please don’t lick the Wallpaper: Arsenic in Victorian Era Décor. https://racingnelliebly. com/weirdscience/please-dont-lick-the-wallpaper-arsenic-in-victorian-era-decor/

Eschner, K. 2017. Arsenic and Old Tastes made Victorian Wallpaper deadly. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/…/victorian-wallpaper…/

Feldkamp, K. 2020. Death on the Doorstep: Arsenic in Victorian Wallpaper. https://www.slam. org/blog/arsenic-in-victorian-wallpaper/