Wallpaper to Die For

Abstract

he Victorian home is often portrayed in literature and art as one of beauty, comfort, and
warmth whether it be in the sumptuous mansions of the aristocrats, the less ostentatious homes of
the middle class or the cozy cottage dwellings of the working class. These representations are a
façade for behind the walls of many of these houses of the nineteenth century lurked a quiet and
slowly poisoning agent that produced a sickening and often lethal environment. The culprit was
arsenic and its use to provide the vibrant colours in wallpapers greatly sought by the consumers
resulted in numerous illnesses and death. Little was done by Parliament curtailing the use of
arsenic as economics and trade outweighed their concerns for the health of the nation. It was the
consumers determination aided by the health and medical officials and the press that forced the
manufacturers to cease production of wallpaper containing arsenic and thereby exercising a
dynamic influence on consumerism in the late Victorian Era.