Vintage Acid Blotter Art
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Blotter Art is a term that refers to the artwork that liquid LSD is dropped onto. The artwork is printed onto blotter paper and then perforated into tiny squares or hits, which can be torn apart into easy to manage quantities.
In 1938 LSD-25 (or diethylamide of d-lysergic acid) was synthesized in Basle, Switzerland by a scientist named Albert Hoffman at the Sandoz chemical-pharmaceutical laboratory. It was not until 1943 that Albert Hoffman accidentally ingested a very small amount of the chemical through his finger tips that he was working with during the purification of the condensation process. Three days later, Albert Hoffman ingested a large quantity of the chemical on purpose, (known as Bicycle Day) and thus began the first real experiments with LSD. In the beginning Albert Hoffman gave LSD the name DELYSID, and it was distributed and prescribed to over 40,000 individuals and used as a tool for therapy by hundreds of psychiatrists, with much reported success. |
In the 1960s, when LSD was legal, it was distributed in large pills, sometimes called barrels because of their shape. It was also sold on anything from sugar cubes to animal crackers. Dealers began to want their batch of LSD to be recognizable from the others, so they began to invent ways to trademark their acid. The chemists would make the pills a certain shape or colour as to set them apart from others, especially if they were packaging particularly potent dosages. This also served as a form of a validation of authenticity, proving that the dealers were not selling fake LSD. As a bonus, the dealers would get a kick out of the buzz created by their "brand" of acid.
Now Blotter Art has become a serious art collectible, with new artists creating elaborate designs onto perforated blotter paper. But it's the vintage designs that are often most sort after, and the rarest to find. I have a small collection myself, some of which are featured in this gallery of vintage artwork, and some of the best of the more modern designs that are out there.
Now Blotter Art has become a serious art collectible, with new artists creating elaborate designs onto perforated blotter paper. But it's the vintage designs that are often most sort after, and the rarest to find. I have a small collection myself, some of which are featured in this gallery of vintage artwork, and some of the best of the more modern designs that are out there.
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