Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish playwright, poet and author, notable for such works as Lady Windermere’s Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest. He was one of London’s greatest celebrities of the late Victorian era.

Absinthe was a source of inspiration to Oscar Wilde who wrote: "A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world, what difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset."

Known for his amazing, sharp wit and scandalous lifestyle, Wilde was the great aesthete - glorifying beauty for beauty’s sake in many of his works which comprised of sparkling plays, poems, fairy tales and essays.

Wilde’s lifestyle became too much for Victorian sensibilities, and he was imprisoned in 1895 for conducting a homosexual affair with Lord Alfred Douglas.

Upon his release Wilde moved to France, his peacock spirit dulled by imprisonment and the rejection from a society that had previously thrilled to his dazzling talent and personality. Still, his spirit wasn’t entirely crushed – legend has it that his dying words were ‘Either that wallpaper goes or I do’.