Green Wallpaper During The 19th Century

During the 19th century, there was a phase of mysterious deaths that occurred. This was also the time when green wallpaper was the must-have decoration in every household. People flocked to buy anything with this with green pigment, but green wallpaper was the main target. A man named William Morris was a founder of the British Arts and Crafts movement who wanted to revive the hand-crafting process of creating good and neglected the use of machinery and mass production. He became an icon for the modern environmental movement because he rejected the new synthetic dyes and only used dyes that were natural and simple. Although those principles were evident in his textiles, they did not carry onto the paint that was used for his trademark Trellis
wallpaper. This was a danger as later on, chemical testing showed that behind the stunning green pigment was the synthetic compound of copper and arsenic. These compounds were relatively cheap and provided opportunities for mass production, meeting the demands of the people all across the world, including Australia. Designs that had thick areas of pigment were deadly as the layers would brush off and create toxic dust. When inhaled, people suffered symptoms of pains in the eyes and head, irritation on the upper lip and nostrils and difficulty in breathing. The damp, dark living conditions that people lived in was a breeding ground for fungus which would turn the arsenic into a volatile chemical. Science now helps us understand why people were dying inside their homes full of green wallpaper.