Drink-*hic*-ing Through History
December 13, 2012 1:43 PM Subscribe
Darcy O’Neil’s “Art of Drink” blog examines temperance images from the 1800s, the meaning of temperance, historical drinking and driving ads, and a couple of bitters labels for good measure.
Other selected articles from the blog:
Age of Drugs
Bourbon Ads (NSFW: Nudity)
Detroit Soda Fountain
Drinks from the 1600’s
Other selected articles from the blog:
Age of Drugs
Bourbon Ads (NSFW: Nudity)
Detroit Soda Fountain
Drinks from the 1600’s
The temperance movement was definitely a study in misguided fervour. I enjoy reading religious pulp fiction from the nineteenth century, and it's hilarious that so many characters in them become instant alcoholics upon their very first sip of booze, or conversely, stop drinking forever upon finding God and signing the total abstinence pledge.
posted by orange swan at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by orange swan at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2012
Metafilter: I enjoy reading religious pulp fiction from the nineteenth century.
posted by benito.strauss at 2:42 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by benito.strauss at 2:42 PM on December 13, 2012
I also have no idea what it is supposed to have to do with whiskey, not_that_epiphanius.
posted by Scientist at 2:45 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by Scientist at 2:45 PM on December 13, 2012
Someday people will look back on the War On Drugs the same way, I expect.
posted by Foosnark at 2:50 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by Foosnark at 2:50 PM on December 13, 2012
Not that I see a more direct connection, but the two women do have a bottle of something open beside them there, along with a couple of shot glasses.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 3:21 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 3:21 PM on December 13, 2012
The temperance movement was gaining traction in the 1850s. The Civil War probably delayed prohibition for 50 years.
posted by COD at 3:49 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by COD at 3:49 PM on December 13, 2012
The harem picture is a stone-cold rip of Jean-Léon Gérôme's Une piscine dans le harem.
posted by zamboni at 3:51 PM on December 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 3:51 PM on December 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
I've kind of been waiting for another such movement to take hold. It's not too hard to imagine a backlash against the re-ascendence of cocktail culture and (at least in this town) every third restaurant being a Whiskey Bar-something or other. Alcohol consumption makes a lousy basis for a local economy.
On the other hand drinking (or drunk) culture in England seems to be rumbling along just picking up speed so maybe there is no turning back here either.
Now where did I put that shaker and the rye?
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 4:52 PM on December 13, 2012
On the other hand drinking (or drunk) culture in England seems to be rumbling along just picking up speed so maybe there is no turning back here either.
Now where did I put that shaker and the rye?
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 4:52 PM on December 13, 2012
Beautiful illustrations. My dad, raised in the UK in the 1930s & 40s, talked a lot about how common drunk driving was. He'll never forget a memorable drive home from the pub where the mini he was in lost control, rolled several times and ended upside down beside the road. Him and his five (!) friends were so tightly wedged in that mini no one was hurt. They piled out, simply rolled the car upright and got back in to continue the drive home. And drove home drunk the next night too.
It does bother me though that the Temperance movement is so often marginalised in history and depicted as such a negative thing. It is as though people have forgotten the roots of the temperance movement was in reaction to the domestic violence and dissipation of family resources that disportionately affected women and children because the men (who liked to drink) had all the power legally and socially. Attacking the symptoms and not the cause, yes, but there was little recognition that drinking the week's wages away and then beating your hungry children and wife was really wrong and not an entitlement. The networking and success of the Temperance movement definately later helped the suffragettes. The linking of Christianity (which condoned domestic violence and has alcohol flowing freely through the bible) and the Temperance movement was pretty ingenious.
The Holy War of Women indeed.
plus I love prohibition for giving Ontario the LCBO
posted by saucysault at 5:24 PM on December 13, 2012 [4 favorites]
It does bother me though that the Temperance movement is so often marginalised in history and depicted as such a negative thing. It is as though people have forgotten the roots of the temperance movement was in reaction to the domestic violence and dissipation of family resources that disportionately affected women and children because the men (who liked to drink) had all the power legally and socially. Attacking the symptoms and not the cause, yes, but there was little recognition that drinking the week's wages away and then beating your hungry children and wife was really wrong and not an entitlement. The networking and success of the Temperance movement definately later helped the suffragettes. The linking of Christianity (which condoned domestic violence and has alcohol flowing freely through the bible) and the Temperance movement was pretty ingenious.
The Holy War of Women indeed.
plus I love prohibition for giving Ontario the LCBO
posted by saucysault at 5:24 PM on December 13, 2012 [4 favorites]
For some reason I find myself desiring a Big Spring Whiskey right now.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 5:47 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 5:47 PM on December 13, 2012
Metafilter: I enjoy reading religious pulp fiction from the nineteenth century.
posted by benito.strauss at 5:42 PM on December 13 [+] [!]
Yeah, yeah, so it's a weird taste, but I stand by it. I go into the matter at some depth and length here if you're interested in knowing why on earth I'd have this particular taste.
posted by orange swan at 7:01 PM on December 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by benito.strauss at 5:42 PM on December 13 [+] [!]
Yeah, yeah, so it's a weird taste, but I stand by it. I go into the matter at some depth and length here if you're interested in knowing why on earth I'd have this particular taste.
posted by orange swan at 7:01 PM on December 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Yeah, yeah, so it's a weird taste, but I stand by it.
posted by orange swan
I pull-quote you with sincere pleasure and a feeling of "yep, these are my people". If you come to a Boston meet-up I will feed you booze to get you to talk about it. Until then I will enjoy your blog article. Thanks for the link.
posted by benito.strauss at 7:39 PM on December 13, 2012
posted by orange swan
I pull-quote you with sincere pleasure and a feeling of "yep, these are my people". If you come to a Boston meet-up I will feed you booze to get you to talk about it. Until then I will enjoy your blog article. Thanks for the link.
posted by benito.strauss at 7:39 PM on December 13, 2012
These are amazing. Especially the Temperance ones.
The "Holy War" was the nineteenth-century crusade for temperance and prohibition, whose advocates were mostly women.
Killjoys.
posted by Mezentian at 9:20 PM on December 13, 2012
The "Holy War" was the nineteenth-century crusade for temperance and prohibition, whose advocates were mostly women.
Killjoys.
posted by Mezentian at 9:20 PM on December 13, 2012
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posted by not_that_epiphanius at 1:56 PM on December 13, 2012