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Napoleon, as we all know, died on the remote island of St Helena. A sample of his hair analyzed in the 1960s revealed a high concentration of arsenic, which, over the years has convinced some that he was poisoned, quite possible by the the British government.

However there is another possibility as well, which is explored in this article: Napoleon’s wallpaper contained arsenic and the humidity of St Helena vaporized enough of it be fatal.

Scheele’s Green was a colouring pigment that had been used in fabrics and wallpapers from around 1770. It was named after the Swedish chemist Scheele who invented it. The pigment was easy to make, and was a bright green colour. But Scheele’s Green was copper arsenite. And under certain circumstances it could be deadly.

If the wallpaper was so poisonous, why wasn’t everyone else that was there at the same time as Napoleon also poisoned? Well, it may be that they were, since many of the people in Napoleon’s retinue at Longwood complained of the ‘bad air’, and of feeling ill. If you are a healthy adult to begin with, arsenic poisoning will make you a bit sick. Arsenic poisoning causes stomach pains, diarrhea, shivering and swollen limbs. And Napoleon’s butler did actually die.

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