In a Café, Degas

Also known as "The Absinthe".
A double portrait capturing the aesthetics of the era, it depicts two characters who appear to be strangers: a woman with a vacant gaze and a man looking elsewhere. In front of her is what is assumed to be a glass of absinthe, a drink infamous at the time for its association with leading to psychosis.
One of the most likely interpretations is that the artist crafted a subtle critique of absinthe consumption. The painting was created in the artist's studio, using models artificially placed in a real location familiar to him: La Nouvelle Athènes, Paris.