Dress to kill
A mid-19 century dress colored with a arsenic-containing chemical dye, from the "Romantic Fashions" exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum of Den Haag. Scheele’s Green, Paris Green were all toxic pigments used all over for their bright, rich emerald color. In an era when arsenic was used everywhere, despite its already known toxicity, arsenic-laced dresses were the least of Victorian’s worries.The wearer of such a dress would get a very small dose since the arsenic-infused fabric rarely came in direct contact with skin thanks to all the layers (lining, petticoats, corset cover, corset, and chemise) worn underneath it. What about the partner though? The 1862 etching "The Arsenic Waltz" (subtitle: The new dance of death. Dedicated to the green wreath and dress-mongers) seen in the background depicts these worries. To be sure, this room is the only one where visitors are not allowed to approach the dresses :-)
Dress to kill
A mid-19 century dress colored with a arsenic-containing chemical dye, from the "Romantic Fashions" exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum of Den Haag. Scheele’s Green, Paris Green were all toxic pigments used all over for their bright, rich emerald color. In an era when arsenic was used everywhere, despite its already known toxicity, arsenic-laced dresses were the least of Victorian’s worries.The wearer of such a dress would get a very small dose since the arsenic-infused fabric rarely came in direct contact with skin thanks to all the layers (lining, petticoats, corset cover, corset, and chemise) worn underneath it. What about the partner though? The 1862 etching "The Arsenic Waltz" (subtitle: The new dance of death. Dedicated to the green wreath and dress-mongers) seen in the background depicts these worries. To be sure, this room is the only one where visitors are not allowed to approach the dresses :-)