This work research-based on Emerald Green as a color trend in the early 19th century. It is not a natural color and became commercialized using compounds of arsenic, a known toxic element. Emerald’s depth and shine made a fashionable choice for ball gowns, shoes, and wallpapers. When damp near or on the body the material exposes toxic levels of arsenic to those who were around, slowly poisoning England’s population.
The patterns are a stylized formula for Emerald and flat patterns for shoes layered together. Elements of the shoes relate to color study, patterns, shapes, textures, and materials that defined the Victorian Era.
Behind the Emerald Curtain, Mixed media, wood, metal, fabric, screen-printing, and leather. 2020
