A Little History of Arsenic Green

There is no doubt that green is one of the more alluring, interesting, and complex colors of fashion through the ages. There are many myths around various greens and their toxicities, but as with most mythology there is a little kernel of truth.

With the release of the “Endora” Victorian/Edwardian Witch Shoes, it seems quite fitting to talk about the poisonous greens of the 19th century. We chose a {non-toxic!} green color for Endora that is close to the famous Scheele’s Green, a yellowish-green pigment invented in 1775 and made from sodium carbonate and arsenious oxide – AKA, “arsenic green.”

There were many new, chemically-created hues available in the Victorian period, and these bright and bold colors were all the rage. Scheele’s green, Magdela red, Perkin’s mauve, Verguin’s fuchine, Martius yellow, and Paris green were just a few. Not all dyes were made from the same compounds. The arsenic dyes pre-date the aniline dyes by about 75 years and were indeed known to be dangerous, but lack of definitive evidence and consumer demand kept these colors widely available for all of the 19th century and into the 20th.

Prior to Carl Wilhelm Scheele’s 1775 arsenic-derived pigment, green fabrics were notoriously difficult to create. Textiles were dyed yellow first, using turmeric or dyer’s weld, then over-dyed with blue from woad or indigo. Consistency from batch to batch was tricky, and the resulting fabric was expensive. Green garments pre-dating the common availability of arsenic greens were statements of wealth.

There were two well-known arsenic-based greens ubiquitous in the 19th century: Scheele’s green and Paris green. Scheele’s, also called Schloss green, was a yellowish-green color and quite unstable, easily fading or oxidizing. Paris green, a deeper, more emerald color, was invented in 1814 to improve on Scheele’s green. It was longer lasting, but both pigments degraded with moisture and became arsine gas. With Scheele’s and Paris greens being used in everything from wallpaper, paint, candles, food coloring, toys, and, of course, fabrics, it’s easy to understand reported ongoing 19th century illness (in addition to so many, many other things like…asbestos.)

By the mid 1860s, new synthetic dyes were widely available. These dyes were derived from coal tar, which were only a marginal improvement over the toxicity of arsenic, but still posed health risks. It was not until after WWI that truly safe and stable green dyes came to be, the eerie result of advancement in chemical weapons technology during the Great War.

p.s. If you have green antique clothing dating between 1775 and 1920, handle with care. Not all green garments are dyed with arsenic or coal tar-based dyes, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Remember that arsenic dyes turn into poisonous gas when exposed to moisture. If in doubt, test it.

Sources
Sheele’s Green – Wikipedia
Paris Green – Wikipedia
“Aniline Dyes,” Fashion History Timeline, Fashion Institute of Technology
“An Update on Arsenic Green: When the World was Dying for Color,” Lidia Plaza, Maryland Center for History and Culture
“#MuseumLife: Testing Artifacts for Hazardous Materials,” Museum Chat: The Official Blog of the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre