Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bitter Oriental

Henri Privat-Livemont

Date

1897

Medium

Color lithograph

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Privat-Livemont’s "Bitter Oriental" poster advertised a brand of aperitif bitters, a type of herbal alcoholic beverage typically consumed before meals to stimulate appetite. These drinks were popular across Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often marketed with exotic or luxurious imagery to appeal to middle- and upper-class consumers. The "Bitter Oriental" poster, like many of Livemont’s works, features a glamorous woman—here with dark flowing hair and sheer see-throgh clothing—surrounded by his Art Nouveau take on exotic motifs: crescent moons, and stylized peacock feathers or lotus blossoms. The use of “Oriental” in the brand name and visual elements reflect the era’s fascination with the exotic and the East, though it does so through a romanticizing Western lens typical of the time. Belgium

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