Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Deadly Green Color...!

Who would have ever thought that fabric could be deadly, simply because it was dyed a certain color? In this disturbing story from Listverse, the sheer scope of the damage caused went unknown for a very long time.

Scheele’s Green



Photo credit: Kathleen McGouran/The Ryersonian

If beauty is pain, then Scheele’s green is the most beautiful color ever.[4] Karl Scheele was a chemist in Sweden when he created the pigment in the 1770s. The pretty green hue he found was cheap to make and easy to use in all sorts of items, from clothing to wallpaper. And that’s really too bad, since Scheele’s green was made with arsenic. Oops.

The gorgeous green was used in ball gowns and curtains, pretty much any home fabric, and was so commonplace that it surrounded none other than Napoleon in his final days. In fact, the arsenic-infused pigment may have contributed to his death. Since Scheele’s green was a hot color in Victorian Britain and elsewhere in Europe, he certainly wasn’t the shade’s only victim.

Scheele’s green was used in fashion for about 100 years, a century of death, before another chemist decided to take a good look at the pigment and discovered its true nature.

Now that is some very disturbing history for ya. I would never think that the pigment used to dye fabric could cause so much trouble. Guess I learn something new every day, for sure!

Coffee out on th patio this morning!

8 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

My mom had older relatives who wouldn't eat or wear anything green.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
I reckon that some folks think it is unlucky...or deadly!
Thanks for stopping by this morning!

Mamahen said...

Wow...who would ever think of "death by color"! Green has always been my least favorite color, but I had no idea that it once was so deadly.Patio sounds good!I'll bring some fresh blueberry muffins to share:))

linda m said...

Makes unbleached, undid cotton sound like the color I want to wear. Who knows what they use in dyes these days. Patio sounds great this morning. Thanks Mamahen for the muffins. Death by color makes me laugh.

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamahen...
Those muffins sound great! "Death by color" crack me up...well done!
Thanks for coming over today!


Hey Linda...
I go along with that, for sure.
Thanks for the visit this morning!

JO said...

Of all places to learn about this green was on a PBS TV show when a family was getting sick and acting crazy and the good Dr. made a house call and figured it out right on the spot. So I googled it and sure enough this is what I found and read.

Patio here I come and thanks for the muffins my favorite

Rob said...

That green slow death was around for 100 years.... gotta make you wonder.

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
I reckon it explains many things from the past.
Thanks, dear, for dropping by today!


Hey Rob...
I'll have to admit that it does seem curious, for sure.
Thanks for the visit today!