![]() ![]() Yet, more recent studies indicated that pre-prohibition bottles contained only trace amounts with an average of approximately 25 mg/l. Indeed, it was then believed that absinthe contained around 300 milligrams per litre of thujone. This lead to the discovery of thujone, a chemical compound found in wormwood oil. In his observations, he discovered that the pure oil caused seizures in animals.Īs absinthe contains trace amounts, he concluded that it was the cause of the hallucinations and violent behaviour in alcoholics. Meanwhile, French psychiatrist Valentin Magnan studied alcoholism and experimented with wormwood oil during the 19th century. As a result, conservatives regarded what they referred to as “absinthism” as a more severe form of alcoholism. Likewise, a string of other alcohol-related murders and violent crime was blamed on absinthe in particular. Similarly, the relationship between the poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine dramatically ended when the latter was imprisoned for shooting the former in the hand.Īs they were both known heavy drinkers of absinthe, the drink was blamed by the press. ![]() After all, bohemians were often the subject cause of controversy, and the period was experiencing growing crime and anti-social behaviour.įor instance, Vincent van Gogh allegedly cut off his ear during an absinthe hallucination. However, it also has more lighthearted representations such as Moulin Rouge! (2001) and EuroTrip (2004).Ībsinthe’s association with bohemian culture likely made it a target for social conservatives and prohibitionists. In most cases, absinthe represents the dark forces of seduction, addiction, and delirium. For instance, it played an essential role in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Interview With The Vampire (1994), and From Hell (2001). Indeed, absinthe’s mysterious lawlessness and seductive bohemian imagery has persevered and often plays a reoccurring theme in film and literature. However, the green fairy didn’t appear in the film or literature until much later. References to the “green fairy” were popular by both its advocates and its opponents in the press. However, some artists and authors, including Degas and Zola, illustrated its addiction and supposed psychological effects. As a result, it often inspired or was even featured in the works of a variety of artists, including the following:ĭepictions of absinthe by the bohemian crowd were usually of affection. Absinthe’s Relationship With Art & Literatureĭuring the Belle Epoque, absinthe became associated with the Parisian artistic bohemian subculture. When the production of absinthe industrialised by the second half of the 19th century, its demand boomed.īefore it was banned, France consumed 35 million litres per year compared to only 5 million litres of wine. Indeed, absinthe became so prevalent that it even had its own 420! 5pm was often referred to as l’heure verte or “the green hour”. ![]() However, this launched absinthe’s popularity when returning officers ordered it in cafés. Absinthe was issued to French troops as a malaria treatment during the 1840s before it was eventually replaced by quinquina. ![]()
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