Today’s Colorful Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
In the 19th century emerald green coloring was created by combining copper acetate with copper arsenite. The leaves of artificial flowers, in particular, were colored with various arsenic greens and they were very popular in Victorian households. The industry making them employed hundreds of young girls, who suffered accordingly from chronic arsenic poisoning. What is even more surprising is that these greens were sometimes used in ways that seem fraught with danger, and at a banquet held by the Irish Regiment in London in the 1850s the table decorations were sugar leaves colored with them. Many of the diners took them home for their children to eat as sweets, and several deaths ensued. At another dinner in 1860 a chef was eager to produce a spectacular green blancmange and sent to a local supplier for green dye. He was given Scheele’s green and three of the diners later died.
Culled from: The Elements Of Murder
I do not want green pudding, especially not emerald green pudding. Yuck.
I have a collection of Victorian household hints for domestic help, and they specifically mention not using green for baby clothes, ribbons, trim, and even wallpaper for that very reason.
Y’know… I often think about what they found safe back then(and well, really wasn’t) and what they *think* is safe now. Hmmmm…
They had some pretty odd ideas about cookery and household management back then. For just one example, they thought coffee should be boiled for a long time. *spits* Let it boil just a bit, by accident, and see how you like it.