Object of the month
From the 19th century, many doctors warned of the dangers of alcohol, which were henceforth recognised as applying
to all alcoholic beverages, as indicated in the Larousse illustrรฉ of 1924. In France, the State committed itself relatively
late to combating alcoholism, notably through the law of January 1873, known as the โloi contre l’ivrognerieโ, which
penalised public intoxication. Beyond a medical issue, alcohol was perceived as a major cause of social disorder:
domestic violence, the impoverishment of households, loss of the fatherโs income, bloody incidents reported in the
news, and worker absenteeism. Temperance associations then emerged, both in France and abroad, such as the Swiss
Blue Cross, founded in 1877. The poster Lโalcool tue, drawn by the Swiss painter and engraver Eugรจne Burnand,
forms part of this moral, social and public health struggle.
Through a striking and deliberately dramatic scene, Burnand depicts the direct consequences of alcohol on the family
unit, reminding viewers that drunkenness destroys bodies as much as it erodes social bonds.
From the 19th century, many doctors warned of the dangers of alcohol, which were henceforth recognised as applying
to all alcoholic beverages, as indicated in the Larousse illustrรฉ of 1924. In France, the State committed itself relatively
late to combating alcoholism, notably through the law of January 1873, known as the โloi contre l’ivrognerieโ, which
penalised public intoxication. Beyond a medical issue, alcohol was perceived as a major cause of social disorder:
domestic violence, the impoverishment of households, loss of the fatherโs income, bloody incidents reported in the
news, and worker absenteeism. Temperance associations then emerged, both in France and abroad, such as the Swiss
Blue Cross, founded in 1877. The poster Lโalcool tue, drawn by the Swiss painter and engraver Eugรจne Burnand,
forms part of this moral, social and public health struggle.
Through a striking and deliberately dramatic scene, Burnand depicts the direct consequences of alcohol on the family
unit, reminding viewers that drunkenness destroys bodies as much as it erodes social bonds.
