May 20, 2024

All things Perfume Passage Foundation on one website!

A Note From The Founders...

Like most collectors, it's the memories of the past that draw us to the treasures we search for. One category of perfumes and vanity items that have been of interest to us for years are those that are connected to the film industry, Hollywood and celebrities.

We have fond memories from when we lived in California, and the stories these collectibles tell and the history they provide often make us smile, which in turn encourages us to keep searching for them!


So for this issue, we're sharing stories and histories of the Hollywood and celebrity perfume and vanity collections at Perfume Passage!



Sincerely,

Jeffrey and Rusty, Co-founders

"No need to ask for directions; the sun always leads you to California."

Our California connection has certainly inspired our eclectic collecting interests, as some of the little-known relationships and stories of the perfumes and vanity items connected to the 31st state are fun and fascinating at the same time.


Rusty grew up in southern California, we both went to college in the state and met in Los Angeles over 30 years ago. We lived in LA for several years and developed an interest in California history and the architecture of the city's buildings, especially those from the Art Deco era.


"I worked for five years in the film production business and was fortunate to have valuable experiences in various aspects of the film industry and actually produced a B-movie many years ago. I really enjoyed that work," said Jeffrey.


Soon, our initial interest in men's fragrances expanded to searching for perfumes and vanity items relating to Hollywood's history and the film industry.

The Vault gallery at Perfume Passage has a variety of Hollywood themed perfumes and vanity items on display.

Hollywood and the Movies...

There's an interesting answer to the question of why and how Hollywood became the center of the movie industry. In the early 1900s, US inventor Thomas Edison of New Jersey -- yes, Edison of light bulb, phonograph and telephone fame -- controlled the patents for motion picture cameras and the film these cameras used.


However, documentation showed that Edison kept tight control over the growing film industry, and rival companies were unable to successfully compete against his newly formed Motion Picture Patent Company.


Film makers began moving west to California, as far away from Edison's stronghold as they could, as it was easier for film makers to form new companies and operate in Hollywood, and small studios were popping up throughout the Los Angeles area. In addition, the California weather was excellent for filmmaking, so the industry grew and remains there today. In 1915, the courts decided that Edison's company had exceeded their patent rights and ordered that his MPPC company be dissolved.


"Going to the pictures" became a popular pastime; silent films made way for the talkies; actors and actresses were influencing the cosmetic and fashion industries; and a new category of Hollywood and celebrity items were manufactured, waiting to be preserved over the next 100 years.

This 2001 Andy Warhol Marilyn Rose Eau de Toilette was purchased with an original store display.

1998 Fred Hayman's Hollywood for Men Eau de Toilette.


The box says "Fred Hayman's Hollywood for Men personifies an adventurous spirit and a style of classic elegance. The essence of the Hollywood man is captured in the unmistakable fragrance blend."

Dick Clark Signature Cologne from the 1980s. The box says "A great fragrance can change attitudes - yours and other people's."

A rare souvenir from the famed Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood! It includes a miniature brown felt derby style hat and a bottle of Champagne Eau de Cologne by Parkdale. The box top is decorated with graphics of the Brown Derby buildings and the ever famous movie star caricatures.

Rebel Cologne is the essence of actor James Dean from 1997. The set comes with sunglasses and a cap embossed James Dean Foundation Fairmount, Indiana.

Max Factor...

In Hollywood's Golden Age, there was one name associated with makeup and the movies. Max Factor, an innovative makeup artist and wig maker, was known for developing the iconic looks of famous actresses such as Marlena Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Gloria Swanson, Lucille Ball, Bette Davis and Jean Harlow, among others. He also believed that cosmetics and the glamorous looks of movie stars should be available to all women.


The Max Factor cosmetic line was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz, a beautician.

While the company was widely known for the makeup it developed for the motion picture industry in Hollywood, it is less well known for its contributions to the makeup used during the early days of television.

The company timeline included:


  • 1930: Invented the first lip gloss


  • 1934: Released Liquid Nail Enamel, forerunner of today's nail polishes


  • 1935: Opened the unique Max Factor Makeup Salon in Los Angeles


  • 1937: Released "Pan-Cake," forerunner of modern cake makeup, originally developed for color films


  • 1940: Released "Tru-Color" lipstick, the first smear-proof lipstick. Created the "Hunter's Bow" shape that was popular among the "pin up" actresses

Max Factor's vintage products are on display at Perfume Passage and fit our interests in both men's products and Hollywood items! Several are shown below.


This 1951 Father's Day ad promoted Max Factor products, stating, "The fine grooming essentials used by Hollywood's most famous men are available to the men of America."


The ad also promoted the movie Sirocco and included photos of actor Humphrey Bogart, along with the director, producer and director of photography from the film.

1976 Max Factor Wood Grains Teakwood Cologne

1974 Herbal Musk After Shave/Cologne for Men

1963 Max Factor Original Deodorant Cologne

Hollywood Vanity Items...

Ladies compacts were produced practically for every occasion and event, so of course Hollywood-themed vanities are on display at Perfume Passage.

The original press book for the 1939 Academy Award-winning film, Gone with the Wind advertised Volupte enameled Scarlett O'Hara themed compacts. They sold for $2.00 and were available in three southern scenes inspired by the movie. A compact and agreement between the Volupte company and Loew's, the movie's distributor, is on display in the Vault gallery at Perfume Passage.

This is one of the Volupte enamel powder compacts with the image of Scarlett O'hara and Rhett Butler in front of Tara.


Very few advertisements for the compacts have been found, and this ad was from the Miami Herald in January 1940. We've only seen one of the Scarlett O'hara compacts, and so the others are on our search list!

Distributed by Pinaud, this glass "Scarlett" bottle was a tie-in after the release of Gone with the Wind. The full bottle has never been opened, and it has the original red ribbon bow holding the plastic top on the glass bottom. The bottle even has its original gold paper label on the bottom.

Elgin American was known for producing fabulous art deco enamel compacts.


However, they also manufactured a large variety of souvenir compacts in several different styles.


This gold-tone powder compact shows the well-known intersection of Hollywood and Vine Streets, along with the NBC and CBS studios. You can also see the Brown Derby restaurant!

Located about 38 miles southeast of Hollywood is the iconic Disneyland theme park. Opened in 1955, ladies compacts were the perfect souvenir item to purchase before you left "the happiest place on earth!

Artist Orry Kelly (1897-1964) was an Australian-American costume designer who won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design for An American in Paris, Some Like It Hot and Les Girls. This Minta Durfee Arbuckle Parfums painting from 1917 was part of the actress Debbie Reynolds collection.


The painting hangs in the Vault gallery at Perfume Passage and shows actress Minta Durfee, who was married to silent film actor, director, and screenwriter Fatty Arbuckle from 1908 to 1925. She became Charlie Chaplin's first motion picture leading lady, starring in one of his first two-reel films, Making a Living, in 1914.


The painting depicts perfume and beauty products featuring Minta's profile, but no such products were documented as ever having been produced.

Mary Martin (1913 - 1990) was an American actress and singer who originated many leading roles on Broadway, including Peter Pan, The Sound of Music and as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in 1949.


During the run of South Pacific, as Christmas gifts in 1950, Mary gave her female colleagues a ladies compact with the inscription TO..., XMAS 1950. And her male colleagues received "Mary Martin's Original V.V.O. Brand, Special Liqueur Blended Scotch Whisky." Both items are part of the Hollywood display at Perfume Passage, as pictured above.


Mary Martin was the mother of actor Larry Hagman, who starred as the ruthless oil baron JR Ewing in the popular TV soap opera Dallas in the 1980s. Of course, JR became a pop culture icon, and an aftershave with his image on the bottle was introduced in 1980.

The Women is a 1939 comedy/drama film with an all-female cast that included Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell and Joan Fontaine, among others.


The story highlighted the pampered lives and struggles of rich, bored wives and other women they came into contact with. Filmed in black and white, it was directed by George Cukor.


Several scenes took place at a department store perfume counter. Perfume bottles were visible, including a clear glass bottle with a woman as the stopper. The perfume was called Summer Rain. The manufacturer of the bottle is not known, and the fragrance didn't exist!

One of the original bottles that appeared in the movie is on display in the Vault gallery at Perfume Passage. It was purchased at an MGM studio auction several years ago.


The film was a commercial success and was considered one of the best movies of 1939. Although it didn't receive any Academy Award nominations, it was described as one of the major films in a stellar year of Hollywood productions.

Hanging on the wall in the Vault gallery are four cement hand prints from actors Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney and Bette Davis. Warner Bros. Studios placed 30 sets of celebrity hand and foot prints on the lobby floor of the Chicago Rhodes Theater. The movie palace was opened from 1937 through the 1980s and was located approximately 56 miles from Perfume Passage!

Perfumes in the Movies...

Let your scent tell your story...

In the 1920s, American women were looking for a bit of glamour following WWI and they found it during the Flapper era, the Golden Age of Hollywood and from the glass perfume bottles often featured in the movies.


Perfume bottles grew in popularity after women noticed Hollywood actresses sitting at vanity tables covered with bottles, dresser sets and cosmetics in the movies. Women realized they could afford a bit of Hollywood glamour by purchasing items they saw on the big screen.


Beginning with the silent film era, film stills or production stills were photographs taken during the production of a movie set and later on, television show sets. Sometimes these photographs were taken in a formal studio setting, actors' homes or press events. Candid photos were also taken to help studios advertise and promote the film or show, along with the actors and actresses. The photos were sent, along with press kits, to newspapers and magazines in order to receive free publicity.


For perfume and vanity collectors, it makes sense that these photographs with images showing bottles, cosmetics, accessories and purses are a natural fit for our displays! These photos can be found throughout the Perfume Passage galleries.

Denholm Elliott in Scent of Mystery, 1960

Joan Collins with a perfume atomizer in a 1956 press photo

Scent of Mystery perfume store front, 1960

Natalie Wood holding Jean Nate men's cologne, 1956 publicity photo

From Surrender film, 1950

Silent film actress Carmel Myers, 1927

Celebrity Fragrances...

Celebrity. It's fame brought on by the attention actors, athletes, politicians or even people associated with celebrities receive from the mass media.


Celebrities usually implies a positive image and celebrities associated with the perfume industry have often influenced consumers to purchase the scent they promote or actually developed.


Perfume Passage has a collection of celebrity fragrances, including those featured below!

Did You Know...

Did You Know...


  • Although celebrities had been endorsing and advertising fragrances since the 1950s, the first recognized celebrity scent was released by Elizabeth Taylor.


  • In collaboration with Elizabeth Arden, she launched her first scent in 1987, Elizabeth Taylor's Passion, building a fragrance empire and becoming one of the most successful brands in the perfume industry.


  • In 1991, Elizabeth released her second scent, White Diamonds (left), which has become one of the best-selling fragrances of all time.



  • In 2012, actor Brad Pitt became the first male spokesperson for Chanel No. 5!



  • L’Interdit was considered the first fragrance with a "face" — a celebrity who endorsed a product in advertising. L’Inderdit was commissioned by Hubert de Givenchy for actress Audrey Hepburn, who wore it for a year before its release to the public in 1957.

Link

  • While most Elvis fans wanted to "plant one on him," he promoted his own lipstick with the saying, "keep me always on your lips!" This was produced in 1956 by the Teen-Ager Lipstick Corporation of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Elvis cologne and aftershave were also available for those who wanted to smell like The King!






  • In 1996, basketball legend Michael Jordan released his first fragrance, by the house of Bijan. It quickly became the best-selling new fragrance of the year after generating over $40 million in sales within the first two months of its launch.

Top 10 celebrity fragrances in 2023:

  • Ariana Grande – Cloud


  • Ariana Grande – Sweet Like Candy


  • Ariana Grande – Moonlight


  • Antonio Banderas – Blue Seduction


  • Ariana Grande – ARI


  • Beyoncé – Heat


  • Elizabeth Taylor – White Diamonds


  • Jessica Simpson – Fancy


  • Katy Perry – Killer Queen


  • Sarah Jessica Parker – Lovely

A Hollywood Treasure...

Colonial House, home to noted Hollywood celebrities including Carol Lombard, Myrna Loy, William Powell, Cary Grant and Bette Davis, was built by noted LA architect Leland Bryant in 1930.


The apartment complex was Bette Davis' last LA residence, located conveniently near the famed Sunset Strip and several movie studios.


Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the property features wrought-iron fixtures, gardens, swimming pool, terrace, library, custom built-in cabinetry and views of the mountains and Hollywood.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the property features wrought-iron fixtures, gardens, swimming pool, terrace, library, custom built-in cabinetry and includes views of the mountains and Hollywood.


Bette's apartment was on the fourth floor and had large, spacious rooms with 12-foot high ceilings. She decorated the place with art books and family photographs on the tables and walls.


In 2009, when her unit was for sale, Perfume Passage purchased Bette's glamorous 1920s mirrored vanity table. It features multiple panels of beveled mirrors, decorated with floral-etched designs and rosettes.


The 86" tall vanity sits proudly on display in the center of the Deco gallery at Perfume Passage. If it could only talk...



Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (1908-1989) was an American film, television and theater actress who was considered one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history.


She won two Academy Awards and was known for her performances in a variety of film genres. Photographed here with Spencer Tracy at the 1939 Academy Awards.


Save the Date...

Join us for a Special Celebration!


Perfume Passage is marking a milestone - our fifth anniversary! Save the date and be part of this aromatic extravaganza.


Date: Saturday July 27, 2024

Venue: Perfume Passage



Join us for an unforgettable afternoon filled with scents, stories and surprises!


  • Just confirmed: As part of the festivities, local perfumer Kamala from Kamala's Own in Barrington, Illinois, will demonstrate how perfume is created.


More details to follow. Stay tuned!

Perfume Passage Journal...

Issue 8 about Vantine's is available!




For this issue, we celebrate the influence of Asian cultures on the American perfume industry. What better way to showcase this rich history than to spotlight the story of A. A. Vantine & Co.


The founder, Ashley Abraham Vantine, spent several years in California in the San Francisco area during the gold rush era. He observed the massive population of Chinese and Japanese immigrants who arrived in America in search of wealth. Vantine was successful in importing foods and household goods from the Far East to cater to this market.


You will discover a gold mine of bottles, burners, powder boxes and ephemera from our collection. A window display in the Passageway is dedicated to Vantine's, with two 17-inch Buddhas greeting visitors. Incense smoke often wafts through the corridors on occasion!

We Have Published Our First Book!!

We're thrilled to announce the release of our inaugural book, a testament to our ongoing commitment to preserve the history, beauty, and artistry of perfume bottles, compacts, ephemera and related vanity items.



In the bustling streets of Paris during the late 1920s and early 1930s, a short-lived yet immensely creative company emerged whose designs captured the glamour and elegance of the Art Deco era. The French Montral company epitomized the spirit of the time, and authors and collectors Howard W. Melton and Anne de Thoisy-Dallem capture the previously unknown history of Montral in their book, The Art of Montral Powder Watch Compacts 1927-1931.


Through documentation, patents and known compact examples, this rich history tells a tale of luxury, creativity and the pursuit of beauty in an era marked by unprecedented social and cultural transformation.

Perfume Passage Is On Social Media...

You will find everything on one site. Check out our Linktr.ee

You will find links to our past PassageWAY newsletters, video content such as the virtual tour by Erin Parsons, and much more!

Interested in visiting the collection?


  • As a private residence, we are not open to the general public except through pre-arranged tours.


  • Experiencing the collection is best when done in smaller groups, therefore we limit admission for an up close and intimate experience. See the link below for upcoming available dates. 


  • We also offer private group tours and many other events throughout the year. 
Contact us for more information

Our mission is to preserve the history, beauty and artistry of perfume bottles, compacts, ephemera and related vanity items. Through education, outreach, and awareness of the Perfume Passage collection and library, our goal is to inspire art lovers, collectors, arts and curators to keep this history alive. 

Perfume Passage Foundation perfumepassage.org

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