This is a conversation with Verity Babbs (art historian and comedian) about Arsenic - which is a naturally occurring element that is toxic to humans. Arsenic is used in many traditional pigment recipes, and ended up being used widely during the Victorian era in paintings, clothing and wallpaper.

If you are interested in people and the stories that make us human, then this is a conversation for you.

Often the odd quirks of people can be forgotten through history, because it they don’t fit with a narrative around their work. But for Verity the often challenging aspects of people’s personalities is what makes her understand them as actual humans.. And in the case of arsenic the figure we are focussing on is the designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist William Morris, often associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement, whose incredibly famous wallpaper once contained arsenic based pigments.

Verity Babbs is a Presenter, Art Historian & Comedian. Her work focuses on making art history more accessible and bringing laughter into cultural spaces. She is the author of ‘The History of Art in One Sentence’ which was published by Bloomsbury in 2025. And is the founder of Art Laughs live art-themed comedy events which frequently perform at the National Gallery. She graduated with a History of Art Degree from the University of Oxford and was named one of BBC HistoryExtra's '30 Under 30' in 2024.

Links

Verity Babbs on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veritybabbsart/

Art Laughs: https://www.veritybabbs.com/art-laughs

The History of Art in One Sentence: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/history-of-art-in-one-sentence-9781526686893/

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