A Case of Identity: A Technical Study of Victorian Wallpapers

Abstract

Public perception of arsenic in nineteenth-century Britain encompassed a variety of things: criminal poison, useful medicine, and a raw material for manufacturing an array of goods. During this era, Henry Carr tested wallpaper and fabric samples sent in by private individuals and manufacturers, as part of an early effort in gathering scientific data to inform and protect consumers against chronic arsenic poisoning. In 2022, eight wallpaper samples that Carr had tested were acquired by Winterthur Library. These samples were analyzed by polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy to identify the presence of arsenic. Of the eight wallpaper swatches, seven suggested trace-to-elevated levels of both arsenic and copper. Two swatches were confirmed as having the arsenical pigment emerald green (copper acetoarsenite) specifically. Research into these wallpaper samples furthers the legacy of knowledge gathering and sharing in order to protect everyday users by contributing to toxicology research in library and archives materials.