The Victorians may not have had Pantone palettes at their disposal, but their love for color made them go extreme lengths. They went crazy for a particular shade of bright green (Scheele's Green) that was created using a concotation of chemicals, the star ingredient of which was arsenic, which, put simply, is a deadly poison. They used Scheele's Green in wallpaper, paint, toys, and clothing dyes.
Not only were the garments dyed with this mixture hazardous to the wearer, it was an equally big hazard to those who handled the chemical in the dyeing process. In spite of the hazards, the green-dyed clothes were so prized that they were worn only on the most special of occasions.