A Note From The Founders... | |
Paris has always been one of our favorite European cities to visit. From the museums to the restaurants to the shopping to visiting our perfume collecting friends, we've spent many vacations traveling through the "City of Light!"
We're already planning our next trip to Paris, but we won't be in town for the upcoming Olympics.
So for this month, we thought we'd share the Paris and Olympic-related perfumes and vanity items that are in the collection at Perfume Passage!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey and Rusty, Co-founders
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Without a doubt, Paris is known as the fragrance capital of the world. Perfume lovers vacationing in the city flock to the established perfume houses to spritz and spray the new scents, and hopefully learn about the vintage French fragrances that perfumeries have created over the years.
At Perfume Passage, visitors enter through the Passageway, which is reminiscent of the early Parisian passageways that were built for the most part in the 19th century. These arcades, covered with glass roofs, are a typical Parisian architectural feature, and today most of them house shops, tearooms and restaurants. There are still around 20 of them in the Paris area, and one of the oldest, the Passage des Panoramas, dates from 1799.
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Our Passageway-themed windows highlight a few of the great European and American perfume houses, showcasing some of our favorite French fragrances. The following perfume houses are included in our Passageway windows and still have salons in the city. A visit is usually on our Paris itinerary! | |
Guerlain was founded in 1828, when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened his perfume store at 42, rue de Rivoli in Paris. As both the founder and first perfumer of the house, Pierre-Francois composed and manufactured custom fragrances with the help of his two sons, Aime and Gabriel.
The business was handed down to the sons of Gabriel Guerlain--Jacques and Pierre Guerlain. Jacques became Guerlain's third master perfumer and was the author of many of Guerlain's most famous classics, which are still held in high esteem in the modern perfume industry and sold today. Among Jacques Guerlain's most important creations are Mouchoir de Monsieur (1904), Apres L'Ondee (1906), L'Heure Bleue (1912), Mitsouko (1919), Guerlain's flagship fragrance Shalimar (1925), and Vol de Nuit (1933). Jacques composed his final perfume, Ode (1955), with the assistance of his grandson, the then-18-year-old Jean-Paul Guerlain.
Over the years, the company has been run by five generations that succeeded one another as they continued to produce timeless and beautiful perfume fragrances. In 1994, the company was purchased by the French company LVMH (a French multinational investment corporation specializing in luxury brands). Its flagship store is currently located at 68, Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris.
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L'Heure Bleue was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1912. As described on the Fragrantica website, "the fragrance is velvety soft and romantic as the bluish dusk in anticipation of night, before the first stars appear in the sky. The top notes are opening with spicy-sweet aniseed and fresh bergamot that gently lead to the heart of rose, carnation, tuberose, violet and neroli. The soft and powdery floral notes are resting on a base of vanilla, Tonka bean, iris and benzoin. The perfume is mysterious, elegant and timeless."
Considered a unisex fragrance, Rusty enjoys wearing this as it's among his top three go-to fragrances.
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Vetiver is a masculine, elegant and woodsy fragrance. It was created in 1961 and re-launched in 2000. Jeffrey has been known to wear this scent. | |
This "vintage" 1970s mans shirt with a Guerlain print was found on eBay. It might be a fun item to wear during our next Paris visit. Do you think we'd stand out as tourists?
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Caron was founded in 1904 by Ernest Daltroff (1867-1941), who chose a short name that was easy to remember in several languages while still being associated with France. He was joined by his lady friend, Felicie Vanpouille. Ernest was the nose, and Felicie, who was a dressmaker, worked with him on the design of the bottles and packaging. Their fragrances were often presented in the crystal bottles by Baccarat. | |
Two of our favorite fragrances are Tabac Blond and Bain de Champagne. They both have wonderful stories about how and why Caron developed these scents. | |
A homage to women’s liberation, Tabac Blond combines leathery top notes that are usually found in men’s fragrances with feminine floral notes, making it popular for both men and women. Launched in 1919, it was the perfect scent for women who smoked cigarettes, as during the roaring '20s, cigarettes were considered a symbol of freedom, and all chic Parisian women smoked! It's an elegant, distinctive scent that includes an unusual combination of leather, tobacco leaves and vanilla. | |
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Bain de Champagne (Royal Bain de Caron) is an amber floral fragrance for women and men, launched in 1923. Notes include lilac, rose, vanilla, sandalwood, musk and cedar.
The story associated with the fragrance is that William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), a US publisher and politician liked to add champagne to his bath water, but found it was rather sticky. So Caron developed the scent and initially marketed it as a "toilet and bath preparation." Their 1928 ad implies that the fragrance could be used as a bath and body product.
Years later, a 1967 ad still encouraged people to use it as a bath product and cologne, stating it could be used "Before the bath. During the bath. After the bath."
In addition, the design of a champagne bottle to hold the fragrance was in line with the restrictions imposed by Prohibition and was certainly in the spirit of the 1920s!
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1928 ad for Bain de Champagne. | |
1967 ad for Bain de Champagne. | |
Houbigant Parfum is a perfume manufacturer founded in Paris in 1775 by Jean-Francois Houbigant (1752–1807). The brand originally sold gloves, perfumes and bridal bouquets, and their original shop, called "A la Corbeille de Fleurs," was at 19, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.
"It all started with a basket of flowers.” On the day the house was founded, Jean-Francoise hung a hand-painted sign of a basket of flowers on his door, and Houbigant was born, quickly becoming a favorite perfume house of kings and queens.
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Marie-Antoinette is known for cakes, high treason and many other things, but what people may not know is that in 1793, she is reported to have carried three vials of Houbigant perfume in her corsage for strength as she was taken to the guillotine. Wonder which three they were?
Napoleon Bonaparte was also reportedly a loyal customer of the brand. It was rumored that Houbigant perfumes were carried in his campaign chest during the years when he conquered Europe. He was quite the fan, and in 1815, when he was only in Paris for three months (referred to as “The Hundred Days” as a period in history), Napoleon took time out of his busy conquering duties to shop at Houbigant!
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In 1882, the House launched Fougere Royale, the first fougere (or "fern-like") perfume ever created, establishing a new fragrance family that is still a popular category in men's fragrances.
Another popular Houbigant fragrance was Quelques Fleurs, created by perfumer Bienaime in 1912. It's considered the first ever multi-floral bouquet created.
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Houbigant's D'Argeville was a floral fragrance for women with woody and amber undertones, launched in 1913.
The original 12-sided Baccarat bottle was decorated with a gilded pastoral scene.
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This beautiful three-sectioned wood and silk screen with floral designs was originally on display in the Houbigant boutique in Paris.
It was used to partition sections of the salon to give customers privacy as they tested fragrances. It has a metal label that reads "Parfumerie Houbigant." If it could only talk...
The 83.5" x 63.5'' screen is now on display at Perfume Passage.
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Evening in Paris, what a perfect name for a cosmetic and perfume as there's nothing like an evening in Paris! | |
Bourjois is a cosmetic company founded in 1863 in Paris by J.A. Ponsin, a French actor. He began focusing on skin-whitening products that would replace the greasy stage make-up used by actors. A few years later, he sold his business to his partner, Alexandre Napoleon Bourjois, and the company became known as Bourjois.
By 1917, brothers Pierre and Paul Wertheimer took over the company and owned Bourjois for nearly 100 years, until it was purchased by Coty Inc. in 2015.
Evening in Paris by Bourjois was created by perfumer Ernest Beaux in 1928 under the name Soir de Paris (Paris Evening). Starting in 1929, it was sold in the US under the name Evening in Paris, becoming an instant success and a popular gift item for mothers, girlfriends and teachers.
The scent became Bourjois' most successful fragrance and, by the 1950s, was promoted as "the fragrance more women wear than any other in the world."
The fragrance was available in parfum, eau de toilette and eau de cologne. The company also produced compacts, powder boxes, soaps, lipsticks and lotions, in addition to other make-up items.
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Their products were packaged in ornate gift boxes, some in the shape of stars, a sailor's hat or a crescent moon. These special gift sets were often for sale around Christmas and Mother's Day. During the 1940s, there were wartime presentations, and all packaging included the statement, "This is a temporary Victory package. The contents are unchanged."
Evening in Paris was reformulated in 1992 and it's still available today under the Soir de Paris name.
The Bourjois display at Perfume Passage includes a variety of items, including items from their Ashes of Roses (1909) and Kobako (1936) product lines.
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A 12" star-shaped cardboard box came with five Evening in Paris cosmetics.
And who wouldn't have wanted to receive a mini Evening in Paris bottle of perfume encased in a plastic Eiffel Tower as a souvenir from Paris?!
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A beautiful 1949 Bourjois ad encouraging women to "make Evening in Paris a part of you..." | |
This 1938-39 McKesson's Gift Book catalog promoted a variety of Bourjois Evening in Paris boxed sets for the holidays! | |
From 1855 to 1937, Paris has hosted seven World's Fairs--1855, 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900, 1931 and 1937. These international events showcased all things French, including scientific, technical and industrial developments. Visitors and exhibitors from all over the world discovered the charms of Paris through these World's Fairs.
Of course, vanity-related souvenirs were produced at each Expo and several are now part of the World's Fair exhibit at Perfume Passage.
The Exposition Universelle of 1900, known as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April to November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next. Over 50 million visitors attended the event and the 1900 summer Olympics were held during the same time in Paris.
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The Perfume Passage Library includes this Paris Exposition of 1900 book that outlines the events at the Expo. What an interesting read! This 3" porcelain hinged powder jar has an image of the Grand Palais on the lid and is from the 1900 Expo. | |
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This beautiful Lorenzy-Palanca poster promotes the gold medal their Extrait aux Fleurs du Bosphore received at the 1900 Expo. It hangs in the lower level at Perfume Passage. | |
The Paris Colonial Exhibition (Exposition Coloniale Internationale) was a six-month exhibit held in 1931. It attempted to display the diverse cultures and resources of France's colonies. This powder and rouge compact is made of faux leather with images representing the event on the lid. | |
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The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life) was a six month Expo held in Paris in 1937. It attracted over 30 million people who visited pavilions from 52 countries.
This enamel envelope design powder compact is actually stamped "Made in Austria." It included the address, postmark and stamp!
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The Paris Expo that most collectors are familiar with was the 1925 Exposition internationale des arts decoratifs et industriels modernes (The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts). Held from April to October 1925, the French government's goal was to highlight the new modern style of furniture, glass, jewelry, architecture and other decorative arts in Europe and throughout the world.
It included over 15,000 exhibitors from 20 different countries, and more than 16 million people visited the Expo during the seven months. The modern style represented at the event later became known as "Art Deco."
The Deco Gallery at Perfume Passage was inspired by the Rene Lalique fountains that were situated in the center of the Expo's perfume pavilion. The glass ribbons on top of the showcases at each end of our gallery symbolize the water fountains.
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During a visit to Paris in the 1920s-1940s, an inexpensive souvenir of choice would have been a ladies compact. It would have served a dual purpose as it could be filled with powder and rouge from a Parisian shop and used, and then it was a reminder of what was most likely a trip you'd always remember! | |
In 776 BC, the Greeks held a sports event that honored Zeus, the greatest of all Greek gods. Men gathered in Olympia where they tested their strength, speed and skills in the first Olympic games.
These games were held every four years and continued for several centuries, even after the Romans conquered Greece, until the Roman Emperor ended them in 394 AD. The ruins of the Olympic stadium were discovered by archaeologists almost 1500 years later.
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It was a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, that came up with the idea to hold modern international Olympic games and the first games of the new era were held in 1896 in Athens.
Paris is one of two cities to host the Summer Olympics three times; first in 1900, then 1924, and now 2024.
The sports themed perfumes and vanity items on display throughout Perfume Passage certainly reflect the popularity of just about every athletic event that will be hosted by the Paris Olympics in 2024!
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1920s German crowntop perfumes showing boxing, running and soccer, all premier events at the Summer Olympics! | |
In 1995 Parfums de Coeur of Darien, Connecticut issued their Malibu Musk cologne in a 1956 pink Chevy convertible 7" long car with a surf board. Surfing finally made it into the Olympics in 2020 and will return in Paris. | |
This silverplate JM Fisher enamel compact with an archer is called "Robinhood," and includes a mirror, powder, rouge and lipstick. It sold for $5.25 in 1930! Archery has been an Olympic event since 1972. | |
This German crown top perfume was a souvenir of the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. It has the Olympic rings on one side and the image of the Brandenburg Gate on the other. | |
- Paris was nicknamed the City of Light (Ville lumiere) at the beginning of the 19th century after becoming the first European city to use gas lighting to illuminate its streets.
- The Eiffel Tower is painted every seven years with 60 tons of paint to prevent it from rusting. It's been completely repainted at least 19 times!
- The French fashion house Hermes is the oldest luxury brand in the world, still in operation. It was founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermes in Paris.
- Guerlain was one of the first perfume houses to mass-produce scents, including their iconic Shalimar fragrance, whose bottle design won its creator, Raymond Guerlain, first prize at the 1925 Paris Expo.
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There are still tickets available!
Join us for a Special Celebration!
Perfume Passage is marking a milestone -- our fifth anniversary! Tickets are still available for the Essence of Summer aromatic extravaganza. It's just days away, so visit our website to purchase your tickets!
The event is a great way to support our fundraising efforts as we continue to educate, share our collections and develop new outreach programs.
Date: Saturday July 27, 2024
1pm - 5pm
Venue: Perfume Passage
Join us for an unforgettable afternoon filled with scents, stories and surprises! The festivities will include:
Tours of the Galleries
New exhibits and displays
Food and drinks
Ice cream at the 1880s soda fountain
Presentations
Door prizes
And more!!
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Perfume Passage 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! | |
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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.
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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. | | | | |