Researcher(s)
- Chloe Terrell, Art Conservation, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Melissa Tedone, Art Conservation, University of Delaware
- Rosie Grayburn, Art Conservation, University of Delaware
Abstract
Books in the nineteenth century were bound with a paper or cloth case that sometimes featured a pigment known as Emerald Green. Despite the name, the main ingredient is an arsenical compound that is a brilliant yet highly toxic green color. The Poison Book Project, run by Dr. Melissa Tedone and Dr. Rosie Grayburn at Winterthur Museum analyzes historical green books in order to understand the book manufacturing practices that were in place and maintain a database of known publications bound with arsenical pigments. Emerald Green can be confirmed present with X-Ray Fluorescence, then the items can be properly catalogued, and safety measures can be taken to ensure no harm is done to handlers. The Poison Book Project assisted the Free Library of Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia Planning and Development department by analyzing books that were suspected to be arsenical with XRF. Additional work was completed to try to replicate bookcloth coatings from this time period, working with recipe fragments to unravel decades of trade secrets. A combination of material and cultural sciences have been implemented to understand the history of bookbinding practices before what is common today.