It was on this day in 1900 that Oscar Wilde died at age 46, after declaring his famous last words: “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” He had spent two years in prison under the official crime of “acts of gross indecency,” meaning that he had male lovers. His health deteriorated, and he had a severe ear infection that the prison doctor would not treat. When he got out of prison, he moved to Paris, but neither his health nor his reputation ever recovered — he eventually died of meningitis, a complication of the ear infection. He ended his days at a seedy motel in Paris, Hôtel d’Alsace, which obviously had some very ugly wallpaper. Now it goes by the name L’Hôtel and is an upscale four-star establishment.
#Oscar Wilde
