For the month of October, we will be featuring a new 2-part mini exhibit in the Museum’s Victorian Room, with a display on Victorian Halloween parties and dangerous fashion trends from the Victorian period.

Many of the Halloween traditions we have in the United States today can be traced back to the Victorian period. For example, early origins of the trick or treat tradition come from this period, where the tradition of giving food to the poor to ward off evil spirits that might otherwise cause mischief while the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest, was still alive and well. In future decades, this would turn into giving children candy as part of trick or treating.  In true Victorian fashion, this time of year was a popular time for parties.

The Victorian Period was a time of rapid change. Mass production fueled by the Industrial Revolution in Britain increased access to a number of products and altered many parts of Victorian life, including fashion. These advances, however, took their toll on the people producing them, namely factory workers. There are records of many fashion trends killing those who worked in the factories and clothing industries, and we recognize some of those fashion trends here.

With the rise of the electric light, women were interested in brighter colored fabrics for evening dresses, including green. With improvements in chemistry, synthetic dyes were being created, including vibrant, emerald shades that were produced using a common household product at the time: Arsenic. Green arsenic powder would be dusted onto fabric, artificial flowers, wallpaper, and more to produce an alluring green color. The production process, however, led to the deformation and eventual gruesome death of hundreds of factory workers who dusted the arsenic powder on the items day after day. Arsenic ingestion causes a number of problems, including rashes and sores, delirium and eventually death. Once the powder was on the product, it could also affect those that interacted with the item, producing sores and scabs on the skin. It was estimated that a single arsenic green dress contained enough arsenic to kill 20 people.  Children who spent a lot of time around arsenic products also fell ill, and died in some cases.  One of the origins of the term femme fatale came from a term for wealthy women who wore arsenic green dresses. Following the discovery that arsenic green was hazardous and deadly, a long tradition of avoiding green in the textile industry followed, as it was believed that using green fabric was bad luck.

After a needed hiatus, the Clarke Museum Blog is back! There's been a good amount going on around the museum as the summer wraps up, from events to school tours, to new interns and building construction. Here's the update:

A few months ago, we received a donation of two pillars that once stood in the Amelia and Sumner Carson Mansion. The Pillars were wired for lights, however the fixtures had been removed. We were able to find two light fixtures in the collection that were originally from the Mansion that were installed onto the pillars, creating a wonderful effect on our museum entry space. Thank you to Board Member Chuck Petty and Museum Director Ben Brown for setting those up!

The summer may be finishing up, but events at the Clarke are not!

• October 6, 12 noon to 4 in Orick: Stand for the Redwoods Festival at Bald Hills Road-The Clarke hits the road to participate in the Stand For the Redwoods Festival in Orick in partnership with Save the Redwoods League and Redwood National and State Parks.
• October 20, 10-4: Archaeology and Cultural Awareness Day- Learn more about local Native American cultures through the Cultural Passport event, see flintknappers in action, and learn more about what Archaeologists do around Humboldt County.
• November 17, 1 pm at the Clarke Museum: Myrtle Grove Cemetery Talk by Milt Phegley
  
• Early December: Clarke Museum Tea Party at The Ingomar Club (Carson Mansion)!- More details TBA, follow us on Facebook or check back on our website for more information and to get tickets once they go on sale.