Absinthe in Vintage Poster Art

La Belle Époque conjures up visions of poets writing in tiny attics, painters starving for their art, the Moulin Rouge dancers. A hedonistic bohemian whirlwind of an era of excess in one of the most beautiful and elegant cities in the world - Paris.

In France absinthe became more popular than wine during La Belle Époque. Due to a fall in price it became accessible for everyone from the bohemian to the upper classes. La Fee Verte, or green fairy, was said to stimulate creativity and therefore became the drink of choice for artists, poets and writers.

L'Heure de l'Absinthe by Martin Gilbert
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The thing to do was to have a glass of absinthe in the morning and then again a glass in the evening at a bar during "l'heure verte" (green hour) at the end of the day - like a happy hour for Absinthe!

To give you an idea on how popular the drink was, in 1910 36 million litres of absinthe was consumed by the French people. Due to the various reported side effects of psychosis or "absinthism" as it was known, absinthe was banned by various European countries in the early 1900s, with France banning the drink by 1915.

Absinthe Berthelot by Henri Thiriet - Buy at AllPosters.com

Absinthe Berthelot by Henri Thiriet (1866 - 1897)

Little is known about the life of Henri Thiriet, except that he was a French illustrator and created Art Nouveau posters full of movement and life - this one being no exception. I love the cheekiness and fun of this poster, there is lots going on and plenty to look at - it suggests that absinthe makes a great party! Look closely at the picture, everyone has red hair!

Henri Privat-Livemont (1861-1936)

An Art Nouveau artist from Belgium, Privat Livemont is best known for his wonderfully dreamy looking posters, using soft shades and colours.

This poster was created in 1896 and is the original is one of the most sought after and collectable Art Nouveau posters from that time. I have tried to research exactly how much an original of this poster would be - no luck yet but will update when I find out! See my list of links below for websites that specialise in original poster art.

Absinthe Robette by Privat Livemont
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Leonetto Capiello (1875 - 1942)

Capiello was an Italian artist who moved to Italy in 1898. The woman featured in this poster is similar or seems to be the same woman that is featured in most of his other illustrations - she is strong, jolly and full of laughter! He liked to draw women in red dresses, with red hair with plenty of movement and bold lines.

Capiello is considered to be the Godfather of the Art Deco movement and produced over 1000 posters in 40 years, revolutionising poster art with his fresh style.

Absinthe Ducrosfils by Cappiello
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These two posters were created by Nover, an artist who remains a mystery! They were printed by L.Revon et Cie and as "Nover" is "Revon" backwards it is suggested that Monsieur Revon himself was the artist.

Absinthe Blanqui
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Absinthe Blanqui Maquette
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L'Absinthe by Edgar Degas
(1834 - 1917)
Degas was an Impressionist painter who is famous for his beautiful paintings of ballet dancers. This is a very different subject; painted in 1876 it was vilified by critics at the time who believed it to be "disgusting and ugly". It was shown again in England in 1893 and again the straight laced Victorians found it to be undignified, immoral and corrupt. Victorians couldn't believe a woman could sit in a bar and drink, this painting caused a huge amount of anti-French feeling at the time in England and was actually booed at in the Christies auction room!
The two figures in the painting are well known characters in Paris at the time, an actress and a painter. I find to be a very sad picture, the woman in particular seems a very lonely and defeated - all she has is the absinthe.

L'Absinthe - Edgar Degas
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The Absinthe Drinker by Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)

Painted in 1901 as oil on canvas, this was created during Picasso's "Blue Period" when blue was the colour that dominated Picasso's art. Blue created a melancholic thoughtfulness to his work and this painting really represents that. This woman with her long fingers, the pallor of her skin, her grim expression and the way she her arms wrapped around herself cuts a sad and lonely figure.

This painting now hangs in The Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia.

Absinthe Drinker - Pablo Picasso
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The Absinthe Drinker by Edouard Manet (1832-1883)

Painted in 1858, this depicts a drunk solitary man standing in the shadows in an ally in Paris. Despite the sadness and loneliness of the painting I do like the fact that this man has taken the time to use a glass and prepare the absinthe properly - no hiding bottles in brown paper bags for him!

This painting is displayed at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, Denmark

The Absinthe Drinker, 1858-59 - Edouard Manet
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Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890)

Van Gogh is the most famous absinthe drinker of them all! In the winter of 1888, Van Gogh cut off his ear with a razor after fighting with his friend Paul Gauguin (another absinthe artist!) and reportedly then handed it to a prostitute in a local brothel.

This act has created many conspiracy theories over the years; no one knows why he actually did it. One of the prevailing rumours is that an absinthe binge caused him to cut off his ear in a rage.

Still Life with Absinthe - Vincent Van Gogh - Buy at AllPosters.com

Throughout his life Van Gogh was plagued with demons - again there is much debate as to what was this was, it could have been bi-polar condition, or schizophrenia or epilepsy. Van Gogh is also rumoured to have been addicted to the turpentine he used to thin his paint. The latest theory is that Gauguin actually cut Van Gogh's ear with a sword. Read more about Van Gogh's amazing yet ultimately tragic life at the Van Gogh Gallery.

Absinthe Extra Superior
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Maurin Quina, c.1906
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Leonetto Cappiello (1875 - 1942)

Another two beautifully drawn posters from the Italian artist Cappiello. It is very rare to find an original of the print of the couple on the right. I find it striking, but sinister too! The woman is drinking absinthe whilst the old man leers at her - perhaps he thinks he has a chance with her when she has drunk enough! Yuk. The poster on the left shows absinthe not as "le fee verte" but as a green devil, he's rather scary!

This anti absinthe poster is pretty terrifying! The wild haired man in the poster with bulging eyes is clutching an absinthe bottle which has an absinthe spoon balanced in the neck of the bottle.

When I first saw this picture, I thought the spoon was a knife dangerously close to the man's ear - perhaps the artist wanted to create that impression to remind the viewer of the Van Gogh ear incident? The translation of the French text is "Absinthe crazy! It is the green that we need". Yikes!

L'Absinthe Rend Fou - Alloton
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Absinthe Prohibition in Switzerland, 1910
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Absinthe Prohibition in France, 1915
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The fears of absinthe causing madness and psychotic behaviour led to a mass prohibition movement throughout Europe in the early 1900s. Absinthe became the reason behind various murders, particularly one sad and brutal case where a man named Lanfray shot his entire family. The anti absinthe movement snowballed, with Switzerland banning the drink in 1910, the USA in 1912 and France in 1915. Other European countries also banned absinthe in the early 1900s, but some countries didn't - such as Spain and the UK. The two posters above are famous prohibition prints of the time, both very similar showing absinthe as green woman lying stabbed with a blue cross. The two posters below reflect the growing concern and fear of the effects of absinthe.

Absinthe Prohibition
20th Century Terror
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Cri de Alarme, 1909
Christol
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Absinthe was created in 1789 by a Swiss doctor called Dr. Pierre Ordinaire who used it to cure the sick; the recipe was eventually sold in 1805 to the Pernod Fils absinthe company who started producing it in a factory.

Absinth is 45-74% ABV and a mixture of herbs and wormwood, it has an anise flavour and is NOT meant to be drunk neat - sugar and water is added. Absinthe is made in pretty much the same way as gin, and the bright green colour comes from the chlorophyll of the herbs during the distilling process.

Absinthe has gained cult status due to the strange side effects, such as hallucinations and psychotic tendencies.

Absinthe Fountain. Source: Wikimedia

These side effects were originally explained as being an effect of a chemical in the herb wormwood, called Thujone. This has now been disproved, thujone can produce muscle spasms but not hallucinations, and it is now believed that the side effects that people experienced in the early 1900s were due to the extra chemicals added to the drink to enhance the green colour. "absinthism" was the name for anyone suffering from the strange effects of the drink.

Absinthe is meant to be mixed 5 parts water to one part of the sprit. You pour absinthe into a glass, the sugar cube is placed on special slotted spoon and held over the absinthe, ice cold water is then poured over the spoon - thus diluting and sweetening the absinthe.

If you want to find out more about absinthe, its effects and how it is made in more depth, I recommend Absinthe Chemistry.