





Absinthe is steeped in mystery, myth, and history. Even its origins are clouded by legend. What is known for sure is that a man named Major Dubied acquired the formula in 1797 and opened the first absinthe distillery in Switzerland called Dubied Père et Fils. Dubied had a son-in-law named Henry-Louis Pernod, and in 1805 they opened a second distillery in Pontarlier, France called Maison Pernod Fils. Pernod Fils brand absinthe would remain the best and most popular brand of absinthe all the way up to the absinthe ban in France in 1914. And even today, it's considered the "gold standard" of absinthes.



In the 1840s absinthe was given to French soldiers to help prevent malaria and when the soldiers returned home they brought their newly acquired taste for absinthe with them. The popularity of the drink rapidly spread to bistros, bars, and cafes across France, so that by the 1860s the hour of 5:PM became known as "l'heure verte"(the green hour). Also around this time many artists began singing the praises of "the green fairy" or "the green muse" as absinthe was being called. It was also known as "the green witch" or "the green devil", depending on what side of prohibition you fell on. Contrary to myth and popular belief, the notion of the green fairy is not based on hallucinating and seeing green fairies when you drink absinthe; but rather it is derived from the absinthe ritual in which roughly an ounce of absinthe is poured into a glass, then a perforated spoon (or absinthe spoon) is placed across the rim of the glass with a sugar cube on top, and ice water is slowly dripped over the cube from a water fountain or caraffe. The water drips into the glass of absinthe causing it to "louche", which turns the absinthe from a translucent pale green color to an opalescent milky green, releasing the essence of the essential herbs from which absinthe is made, and thus releasing "the green fairy".







At any rate, French artists started featuring absinthe and absinthe drinkers in there artwork, usually in the setting of a night cafe or bistro. In the 1880s, mass production of absinthe to meet public demand caused a price drop, which meant that the drink could be enjoyed (and/or abused) by all social classes. This mass production also opened the door for sub-par brands of absinthe being churned out using questionable ingredients, harmful chemicals and improper distilling methods. A lot of poster art advertisements for absinthe also began popping up around this time, many featuring an Art Nouveau style that would influence future artists and designers.



By the 1890s the "Belle Époque" period in France was in full swing and absinthe was the drink of choice among the demi-monde and "Bohemian" crowd populating the cafes and cabarets. By the time the 1900s came around, absinthe had begun taking a big chunk out of wine sails in France and chronic alcoholism was being put under the microscope thanks to the "temperance movement" taking hold in France about this time. Anti-absinthe posters, as well as anti-prohibition posters, began popping up. Absinthe became the scapegoat for the ills and evils of the time, with many people claiming that drinking it will lead to madness, crime, and an early grave.



In 1905 a Swiss farmer named Jean Lanfray murdered his family. It had been reported that absinthe was the cause of the crime. The fact that Lanfray was a chronic alcoholic who had been drinking mass quantities of wine and brandy prior to having a glass or two of absinthe didn't matter. Absinthe took the full blame, and by 1910 it was banned in Switzerland, with the U.S. following suit in 1912, and France in 1914. The ban has since been lifted in all three of these countries, after nearly a hundred years.



This list contains fine art as well as poster art advertisements with absinthe as the subject. The list is in chronological order by date of the artwork.

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