Art, Medicine, and Femininity: Visualising the Morphine Addict in Paris, 1870–1914 (Volume 8) (Intoxicating Histories)

“Paris is the centre of the cult,” wrote Robert Hichens in Felix, his 1902 novel on the rising number of morphine addictions in Europe. In Paris, artists depicted the morphine addict numerous times, yet they disregarded the reality of France's addiction problem: male medical professionals made up the highest proportion of people who used morphine habitually. In oil paintings, caricatures, and lithographs, artists such as Pablo Picasso, Eugène Grasset, and Théophile Steinlen almost always depicted the morphine addict as a deviant female figure.Artists sensationalized addiction to elicit shock and stand out in the crowded Parisian art market. Their artworks show influences from contemporary medical texts on addiction and artistic depictions of sex workers, lesbians, and other women deemed socially deviant. These images proliferated in French society, creating false narratives about who was or could become addicted to drugs and setting a precedent for the visualization of drug addiction. Hannah Halliwell links the feminization of addiction to broader anxieties in late nineteenth-century France – the defeat by Prussia in 1871, concerns about social decadence, a declining population, and a rising feminist movement.Art, Medicine, and Femininity presents a new understanding of the history of addiction and substance use and its intersection with art and gender. ""Paris is the centre of the cult," wrote Robert Hichens in Felix, his 1902 novel on the rising number of morphine addictions in Europe. In Paris, artists depicted the morphine addict numerous times, yet they disregarded the reality of France's addiction problem: male medical professionals made up the highest proportion of people who used morphine habitually. In oil paintings, caricatures, and lithographs, artists such as Pablo Picasso, Eugène Grasset, and Théophile Steinlen almost always depicted the morphine addict as a deviant female figure. Artists sensationalized addiction to elicit shock and stand out in the crowded Parisian art market. Their artworks show influences from contemporary medical texts on addiction and artistic depictions of sex workers, lesbians, and other women deemed socially deviant. These images proliferated in French society, creating false narratives about who was or could become addicted to drugs and setting a precedent for the visualization of drug addiction. Hannah Halliwell links the feminization of addiction to broader anxieties in late nineteenth-century France--the defeat by Prussia in 1871, concerns about social decadence, a declining population, and a rising feminist movement. Art, Medicine, and Femininity presents a new understanding of the history of addiction and substance use and its intersection with art and gender."-- Provided by publisher

"Paris is the centre of the cult," wrote Robert Hichens inFelix, his 1902 novel on the rising number of morphineaddictions in Europe. In Paris, artists depicted the morphineaddict numerous times, yet they disregarded the reality of France'saddiction problem: male medical professionals made up the highestproportion of people who used morphine habitually. In oilpaintings, caricatures, and lithographs, artists such as PabloPicasso, Eugène Grasset, and Théophile Steinlen almost alwaysdepicted the morphine addict as a deviant female figure.

Artists sensationalized addiction to elicit shock and stand outin the crowded Parisian art market. Their artworks show influencesfrom contemporary medical texts on addiction and artisticdepictions of sex workers, lesbians, and other women deemedsocially deviant. These images proliferated in French society,creating false narratives about who was or could become addicted todrugs and setting a precedent for the visualization of drugaddiction. Hannah Halliwell links the feminization of addiction tobroader anxieties in late nineteenth-century France - the defeat byPrussia in 1871, concerns about social decadence, a decliningpopulation, and a rising feminist movement.

Art, Medicine, and Femininity presents a newunderstanding of the history of addiction and substance use and itsintersection with art and gender.

Paris is the centre of the cult, wrote Robert Hichens in Felix, his 1902 novel on the rising number of morphine addictions in Europe. In Paris, artists depicted the morphine addict numerous times, yet they disregarded the reality of Frances addiction male medical professionals made up the highest proportion of people who used morphine habitually. In oil paintings, caricatures, and lithographs, artists such as Pablo Picasso, Eugne Grasset, and Thophile Steinlen almost always depicted the morphine addict as a deviant female figure. Artists sensationalized addiction to elicit shock and stand out in the crowded Parisian art market. Their artworks show influences from contemporary medical texts on addiction and artistic depictions of sex workers, lesbians, and other women deemed socially deviant. These images proliferated in French society, creating false narratives about who was or could become addicted to drugs and setting a precedent for the visualization of drug addiction. Hannah Halliwell links the feminization of addiction to broader anxieties in late nineteenth-century France the defeat by Prussia in 1871, concerns about social decadence, a declining population, and a rising feminist movement. Art, Medicine, and Femininity presents a new understanding of the history of addiction and substance use and its intersection with art and gender. Cover Art, Medicine, and Femininity Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Setting the Precedent 2 Identifying Morphine Users 3 Feminising the Morphinomane 4 The Doctor’s Absent Presence 5 Feminists, Lesbians, and the Femme Nouvelle 6 Newspapers and Sensationalism 7 Art, Innovation, and Strategy Connections and Conclusions Epilogue: Narcotics and Photography, 1930s Figures and Plates Notes Bibliography Index