| Absinthe Ephemera |
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An ever expanding part of the Museum: absinthe invoices and price-lists, publicity brochures,
catalogues, menus, sheet-music, theatre and music hall memorabilia, letters and manuscripts, labels
and packaging material, early photographs and maps.
catalogues, menus, sheet-music, theatre and music hall memorabilia, letters and manuscripts, labels
and packaging material, early photographs and maps.
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Ephemera I - Trade Invoices
The invoices of the major manufacturers, often illustrated with elaborate steel engravings, offer a wealth of information on
brands, prices, packaging, trade practices and even trademark battles.
The invoices of the major manufacturers, often illustrated with elaborate steel engravings, offer a wealth of information on
brands, prices, packaging, trade practices and even trademark battles.
Ephemera II - Theatre & Music
Absinthe and the theatre: An original 1894 program from the fabled Moulin Rouge, showing absinthe on the pricelist, and a
letter from the playwright Armand d'Artois proposing a new play called "La Verte.
Absinthe and the theatre: An original 1894 program from the fabled Moulin Rouge, showing absinthe on the pricelist, and a
letter from the playwright Armand d'Artois proposing a new play called "La Verte.
Ephemera III - Trade Pricelists
A 1911 pricelist from the large Lyon based liquor wholesaler Maison A.Jacquemot, which gives detailed information on the
trade price of almost every significant liqueur, aperitif, spirit, branded wine or champagne available in France.
A 1911 pricelist from the large Lyon based liquor wholesaler Maison A.Jacquemot, which gives detailed information on the
trade price of almost every significant liqueur, aperitif, spirit, branded wine or champagne available in France.
Ephemera IV - Brochures
Publicity brochures and pricelists for some of the larger distillers.
Publicity brochures and pricelists for some of the larger distillers.
Ephemera V - Photographs: Verlaine
A rare albumen print of Dornac's famous photograph of the great poet Verlaine, taken in 1896, the year of his death.
A rare albumen print of Dornac's famous photograph of the great poet Verlaine, taken in 1896, the year of his death.
Ephemera VI - Photographs
Original photographs showing absinthe drinking are particularly important, as they offer first hand evidence of the social
context in which absinthe was served.
Original photographs showing absinthe drinking are particularly important, as they offer first hand evidence of the social
context in which absinthe was served.
Ephemera VII - Photographs: Pernod Fils
The Pernod Fils factory in Pontarlier was the biggest of its kind in France, and a world leader in distilling technology.
Included here is an original circa 1900 albumen print of one of the storerooms, with crates of absinthe ready for export.
The Pernod Fils factory in Pontarlier was the biggest of its kind in France, and a world leader in distilling technology.
Included here is an original circa 1900 albumen print of one of the storerooms, with crates of absinthe ready for export.
Ephemera VIII - Plan de Pontarlier Monumental
A circa 1905 town plan for Pontarlier, showing all the significant buildings, including the 15 largest absinthe distilleries.
A circa 1905 town plan for Pontarlier, showing all the significant buildings, including the 15 largest absinthe distilleries.
Ephemera X - Eucalypsynthe & the Fraternal War on Absinthe
From the 1870's onwards, the temperance movement-led campaign against absinthe intensified. Rival manufacturers of
other drinks - quinquinas, fortified wines, herbal tonics - rather than standing by the beleaguered absinthe manufacturers in
a spirit of fraternal solidarity, sought to capitalize on the campaign to demonize La Fée Verte, usually by contrasting the
alleged health giving virtues of their product with the claimed deleterious effects of absinthe. In some cases, aperitifs were
specifically created to attack the absinthe market - a fine example is shown here: Eucalypsinthe was an absinthe-like drink
with the wormwood replaced - bizarrely - by Eucalyptus leaves.
From the 1870's onwards, the temperance movement-led campaign against absinthe intensified. Rival manufacturers of
other drinks - quinquinas, fortified wines, herbal tonics - rather than standing by the beleaguered absinthe manufacturers in
a spirit of fraternal solidarity, sought to capitalize on the campaign to demonize La Fée Verte, usually by contrasting the
alleged health giving virtues of their product with the claimed deleterious effects of absinthe. In some cases, aperitifs were
specifically created to attack the absinthe market - a fine example is shown here: Eucalypsinthe was an absinthe-like drink
with the wormwood replaced - bizarrely - by Eucalyptus leaves.
Ephemera IX - Labels and Wrappers
Some rare and unusual absinthe labels, and packaging material.
Some rare and unusual absinthe labels, and packaging material.
Ephemera XI - Valseuse a Absinthe
The late 19th century was the heyday of the eccentric invention, and few were more so than this clockwork absinthe "spinner",
illustrated in the May 1900 issue of "Les Inventions Illustrées", a journal devoted to the latest wonders of science and
technology.
The late 19th century was the heyday of the eccentric invention, and few were more so than this clockwork absinthe "spinner",
illustrated in the May 1900 issue of "Les Inventions Illustrées", a journal devoted to the latest wonders of science and
technology.
Ephemera XII - Menus: Gustave Eiffel...and Absinthe Sorbet
A signed 1889 menu for a formal dinner honoring Gustave Eiffel, then at the pinnacle of his fame with the completion that
year of the Eiffel Tower. After the entrées, a Sorbet a l'Absinthe was served as a palate cleanser (known as a Trou Normand
in France). This is the first recorded reference to the use of absinthe in cooking, and also illustrates that absinthe still had a
respectable image in society at this stage - by the end of the next decade it had been so demonized by the temperance
movement that it's inconceivable that it would have been served in any form at a prestigious dinner such as this one.
A signed 1889 menu for a formal dinner honoring Gustave Eiffel, then at the pinnacle of his fame with the completion that
year of the Eiffel Tower. After the entrées, a Sorbet a l'Absinthe was served as a palate cleanser (known as a Trou Normand
in France). This is the first recorded reference to the use of absinthe in cooking, and also illustrates that absinthe still had a
respectable image in society at this stage - by the end of the next decade it had been so demonized by the temperance
movement that it's inconceivable that it would have been served in any form at a prestigious dinner such as this one.
