During the first half of the 19th century, arsenic-containing chemical compounds were frequently used to add green pigmentation to garments. Two common examples of such pigments are Scheele’s Green (CuHAsO3) and Paris Green [Cu(C2H3O2)●3Cu(AsO2)2]. We consider here whether measurable arsenic concentrations could have been transferred from the garment to the skin via wicking from perspiration; such transfer was thought to result in chronic arsenic poisoning in certain cases. This work focuses on (1) evaluation of arsenic in silk via analysis of fabrics pigmented by us in-house, (2) evaluation of arsenic content in actual 19th century silk garments, and (3), evaluation of arsenic extracted from our in-house dyed silk samples using synthetic perspiration at body temperature. Qualitative and quantitative measurements were made primarily using visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy.

A chemical investigation of arsenic in 19th century women’s garments

2019 Spring National Meeting

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