The Victorian “Poison Panic”: Was Poison Really the Problem?

The Victorian Era was no stranger to poison. Its presence was everywhere, from arsenic in cosmetics, to cyanide in the wallpaper, causing a ‘poison panic’ to emerge in popular media. The panic especially surrounded women across this period, with some put on trial for supposedly poisoning their husbands. This insightful article by Finlay Ratcliffe for the 2024/2025 Women’s History Writing Competition explores the case studies of twenty-two women to highlight whether this public fear stemmed from the threat of the poison itself, or rather the threat of female power.
AUTHOR FINLAY RATCLIFFE