Bitten By Witch Fever

Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Victorian Home

Lucinda Hawksley

$60

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Thames & Hudson
08 December 2016

Industrial: Commercial Art & Design; Product design; Professional interior design; Social & cultural history

Bitten by Witch Fever traces the arresting story of the manufacture, uses and effects of arsenic in the 19th-century home, in particular, the pigments ingrained in popular wallpapers. Lucinda Hawksley reveals how pigments, such as Scheele's green and Schweinfurt green, were created using arsenic to produce more vibrant and durable dyes, which became instant favourites with wallpaper designers and householders alike. Drawing on contemporary case studies and reports in the press, she highlights how, by the middle of the century, manufacturers were producing millions of rolls of arsenical wallpaper, with devastating consequences for those working in their factories and for those living in rooms decorated with the deadly designs.

The wallpaper sections display dazzling long-lost work from the great designers and printers of the age, including Christopher Dresser, Corbière, Son & Brindle, Charles Knowles & Co., and Morris & Co. - whose owner was famously dismissive of the fatal effects of living with arsenic-laden wallpapers.

By: Lucinda Hawksley
Imprint: Thames & Hudson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 250mm, Width: 195mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 920g
ISBN: 9780500518380
ISBN 10: 0500518386
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 08 December 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: Arsenic & Victorian Paper Hangings • 1. Arsenic Murder & Myth 2. Madness in the Method; Poison in the Process • 3. Arsenic in the Home • 4. The Wallpaper Designers • 5. The Public Debate • 6. Getting Away From It All • 7. The Rise of Arsenic-free Wallpaper • Appendix

Reviews for Bitten By Witch Fever: Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Victorian Home

'A highly original and beautifully illustrated volume that contrasts alluring, poison-laden wallpapers with thought-provoking narrative' - Town Daily 'Like Horrible Histories, but for grown-ups with a keen interest in interior design' - Emerald Street 'Lucinda Hawksley explores the fascinating history of the use of arsenic in textiles and wallpapers. The book is beautifully made' - It’s Nice That 'In Hawksley's engaging prose, Morris comes across as a contradictory figure - just like the poisonously beautiful wallpaper that adorned so many Victorian homes and like the sumptuous pages of this handsome book, hiding a dark social history within' - World of Interiors