WILLIAM MORRIS

Arsenic pigments were popular in Victorian times for the bright green colour they gave to paint, wallpaper and paper flowers. This large, striking piece of wallpaper was designed by English textile designer and artist, William Morris. Morris’ work is iconic, and his signature repeating patterns date back to the 1860s. Early works by Morris often contained arsenic as their green pigment. This understandably led to many accidental poisonings, however, and arsenic was soon replaced by less harmful dyes. While this piece dates to post 1860, and is unlikely to contain arsenic, the smaller pieces of wallpaper on display are samples of 19th Century wallpaper from other designers that are proven to contain arsenic.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

WALLPAPER SAMPLES WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY AND PROFESSOR ANDREW A. MEHARG, UK

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