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Absinthe – Elixir of Inspiration

Absinthe – Elixir of Inspiration

Absinthe – Elixir of Inspiration


The 1890s were the decade of absinthe, its high point, short take-off before oblivion for a hundred years, during which it was banned. But at the beginning of the XXI century, quite unexpectedly, it again appeared in the shops.
Absinthe is a strong alcoholic beverage, which includes anise, fennel, mint, lemon balm, angelica and other herbs, but the most important component is wormwood, which contains a large amount of thujone. This substance enhances the harmful effect of absinthe on the brain. This drink can be yellow, brown and even red, but more often it is emerald green.

Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a French monarchist who fled from the revolution to Switzerland and settled in a small village, in 1792 came up with a universal remedy for all diseases and called it “absinthe”, as wormwood in French is absinthe. In 1798 the first plant for the manufacture of wormwood elixir appeared, and a few years later the entrepreneur Henri Pernod produced absinthe in Switzerland and France. The product began to be sold all over the world.
Absinthe - the killer of men and energy

Absinthe – the killer of men and energy


At the beginning of the XIX century, absinthe began to be called a “green fairy” – not only because of the color, but also because of the miracles that it did with people. The popularity of absinthe increased sharply during the French wars in North Africa. The soldiers were given a little bit of absinthe for the prevention of malaria, dysentery and other diseases. The bourgeoisie drank absinthe on the Paris boulevards, and in the 1880s the custom of drinking an emerald elixir spread everywhere. Time between five and seven p.m. was called a “green hour”.
Wormwood, infused with alcohol, drove France crazy, and then all of Europe. In America, New Orleans, it appeared in the middle of the XIX century under the names Green Opal and Milky Way.
Absinthe is poison. Poster of 1910

Absinthe is poison. Poster of 1910


For fans of absinthe there were special cafes and clubs. But soon people became addicted. Their fantasies grew into hallucinations, cheerful rampage – into depression, gloomy and heavy madness. Absinthe killed slowly. More and more people had inadequate behavior and temporary insanity. Some even committed suicide. The drink was considered a kind of trip to a madhouse, people called it the green curse of France. In 1907, absinthe was banned in Switzerland, in 1909 – in the Netherlands, in 1912 – in the US, in 1915 – in France, and then in Italy. By the way, absinth was never banned in England, because there it always remained a drink of intellectuals (minority), not becoming popular, as in France. Refusal of absinthe was considered by many as a symptom of cultural decline. For a long time it remained to live only in literature and on the canvases of French artists.
Absinthe Parisienne

Absinthe Parisienne


“There is nothing more poetic in the world than a glass of absinthe. I equate the pleasure of absinthe with the pleasure of contemplating the sunset,” – wrote the famous English philosopher, esthete, writer, poet Oscar Wilde. “If you drink enough of this drink, you’ll see everything you want – beautiful, amazing things.”

Absinthe – Elixir of Inspiration

Advertisement of La Cressonnee

Advertisement of La Cressonnee

Albert Emmanuel Bertrand. The Absinthe Drinker. 1890

Albert Emmanuel Bertrand. The Absinthe Drinker. 1890

Albert Maignans. Green Muse, 1895

Albert Maignans. Green Muse, 1895

Alfred Brisard. Le Buveur d’Absinthe. 1891

Alfred Brisard. Le Buveur d’Absinthe. 1891

Amazing Absinthe

Amazing Absinthe

Andre Helle. L'Absinthe. 1904

Andre Helle. L’Absinthe. 1904

Author Unknown. Absinthe Drinkers. Illustration of the journal The Graphic. 1872

Author Unknown. Absinthe Drinkers. Illustration of the journal The Graphic. 1872

Avignon Absinthe, 1907

Avignon Absinthe, 1907

Awesome Absinthe

Awesome Absinthe

Axel Torneman. Absinthe. 1902

Axel Torneman. Absinthe. 1902

Cafe de Besacon

Cafe de Besacon

Caroline Zimmermann. Alma and Absinthe. 2010

Caroline Zimmermann. Alma and Absinthe. 2010

Caroline Zimmermann. L’absinthe. 2006

Caroline Zimmermann. L’absinthe. 2006

Cartoon L'Absinthe

Cartoon L’Absinthe

Ducasse. Absinthe Drinkers.

Ducasse. Absinthe Drinkers.

Edgar Degas. In the cafe. Absinthe, 1876

Edgar Degas. In the cafe. Absinthe, 1876

Edouard Manet. Absinthe Drinker, 1858-1859

Edouard Manet. Absinthe Drinker, 1858-1859

Elena Seredina (Kotlyar). Pierrot and Colombina. Absinthe, 2013

Elena Seredina (Kotlyar). Pierrot and Colombina. Absinthe, 2013

Execution of absinthe

Execution of absinthe

Fabien Fabiano. Illustration de Journal Le Sourire. 1911

Fabien Fabiano. Illustration de Journal Le Sourire. 1911

Felicien Rops. La Buveuse d’absinthe. 1865

Felicien Rops. La Buveuse d’absinthe. 1865

Francois Bonvin. Still life with absinthe

Francois Bonvin. Still life with absinthe

Gorgeous Absinthe

Gorgeous Absinthe

Greta Gerell. Pariscafe. 1950

Greta Gerell. Pariscafe. 1950

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Monsieur Boileau. 1893

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Monsieur Boileau. 1893

Irving Ramsey Wiles. Absinthe drinkers. 1887

Irving Ramsey Wiles. Absinthe drinkers. 1887

Ivar Arosenius. Last client

Ivar Arosenius. Last client

Jean Beraud. L’absinthe. 1882

Jean Beraud. L’absinthe. 1882

Jean Beraud

Jean Beraud

Jean Daniel Ihly. An absinthe Drinker. 1902

Jean Daniel Ihly. An absinthe Drinker. 1902

Jean Francois Raffaelli. Drinking Absinthe, 1881

Jean Francois Raffaelli. Drinking Absinthe, 1881

Jean-Francois Rafaelli. Les Rapins. 1887

Jean-Francois Rafaelli. Les Rapins. 1887

Jean-Francois Raffaelli. Young Woman in a Cafe

Jean-Francois Raffaelli. Young Woman in a Cafe

Jean-Jacques Waltz. Faithful companions of the drinker Suffering and Death. 1902

Jean-Jacques Waltz. Faithful companions of the drinker Suffering and Death. 1902

Jonathan and Ron Absinthe Drinkerfrom.

Jonathan and Ron Absinthe Drinkerfrom.

Josef Capek. Absinthe Drinkers

Josef Capek. Absinthe Drinkers

Josef Capek. Pijak

Josef Capek. Pijak

Jules Schyl. Absintdrickaren. 1924

Jules Schyl. Absintdrickaren. 1924

Kurt Peiser. L'absinthe

Kurt Peiser. L’absinthe

Laszlo Mednyanszky. Absinth Drinker. 1898

Laszlo Mednyanszky. Absinth Drinker. 1898

Marsel Dyf. Jacqueline in a blue hat. 1967

Marsel Dyf. Jacqueline in a blue hat. 1967

Pablo Picasso. A glass for absinthe, 1914

Pablo Picasso. A glass for absinthe, 1914

Pablo Picasso. Absinthe Drinker

Pablo Picasso. Absinthe Drinker

Pablo Picasso. Absinthe, 1901

Pablo Picasso. Absinthe, 1901

Pablo Picasso. Arlequin et sa compagne

Pablo Picasso. Arlequin et sa compagne

Pablo Picasso. Bottle of Pernod and Glass, 1912

Pablo Picasso. Bottle of Pernod and Glass, 1912

Pablo Picasso. Self-portrait

Pablo Picasso. Self-portrait

Paul Verlaine in the cafe Francois Premier

Paul Verlaine in the cafe Francois Premier

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Characteristic Parisian Cafes. prints Theodore Child, 1889

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Characteristic Parisian Cafes. prints Theodore Child, 1889

Poster The death of the Green Fairy, expressing dissatisfaction with the ban of absinthe in Switzerland

Poster The death of the Green Fairy, expressing dissatisfaction with the ban of absinthe in Switzerland

Rabnoolas. Absinthe Drinker

Rabnoolas. Absinthe Drinker

Sachiko Imai. Untitled

Sachiko Imai. Untitled

Shag. The Absinthe Drinker (after Degas)

Shag. The Absinthe Drinker (after Degas)

Tatyana Krivenko. Absinthe Drinker

Tatyana Krivenko. Absinthe Drinker

The Absinthe Drinker.

The Absinthe Drinker.

Travis Schlaht. Absinthe. 2009

Travis Schlaht. Absinthe. 2009

Vania Zouravliov. Drinking Songs

Vania Zouravliov. Drinking Songs

Victor Oliva. Drinking Absinthe, 1901

Victor Oliva. Drinking Absinthe, 1901

Vincent van Gogh. Still life with absinthe

Vincent van Gogh. Still life with absinthe

Vincent Willem van Gogh. Die Trinker

Vincent Willem van Gogh. Die Trinker

Woman Drinking Absinthe, 1901, Pablo Picasso

Woman Drinking Absinthe, 1901, Pablo Picasso

Woman Drinking Absinthe, 1901, Pablo Picasso

Woman Drinking Absinthe, 1901, Pablo Picasso