“Odors…possess the power of infinite things.” – excerpted from Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire, translated by Richard Howard..
A floral map of the world would highlight Damascus (home of the Damask rose) as well as Bulgaria and Turkey, Italy, Tunisia and India as home to the tuberose, Provence for lavender. Calabria for bitter orange and lemon, Madagascar for vanilla, Tuscany for iris, the Comoro Islands for ylang-ylang, Mayotte for cinnamon, Mysore for sandalwood, Indonesia for patchouli, the Balkans and the Massif Centrale for oak moss, geraniums from France, and of course bergamot from Bergamo, Italy.
Sexual dimorphism is reified in the notion that flowers are said to be gentle and “feminine”., while animal essences such as civet, musk and ambergris express the depth of “masculinity.”
Grasse, in eastern Provence, where the first perfumers’ guild was founded in 1582, is often called ‘the cradle of perfumery.” Perfumes came in handy to m ask the smell of the area’s tanning factories. The 17th century was a time of planting: oranges, carnations, jasmine and violets. The local abundance of flora is still prized by great perfumers.
Eau de cologne is a mixture of lemon, orange, bergamot, rosemary, and neroli. The classic 4711 appeared by 1792, made by the Muhlens family of Germany, although its exact origins are unclear.
In Paris, Madame du Barry, Marie Antoinette, and Napoleon’s Empress Josephine became clients of the city’s first perfumier, Jean-Francois Houbigant.
Pierre-Francois Guerlain opened his shop in 1828 on the Rue de Rivoli. Guerlain perfumes are identifiable by their disturbing fascination. Their first masterpiece, Jicky, a blend of flowers and civet supposedly named for an English girl who broke Aime Guerlain’s heart, was created in 1889, the year of the Eiffel Tower. About L’Heure Bleue (1912), composed of roses, iris, musk, and vanilla, Jacques Guerlain wrote: “The sun has set but the night
hasn’t yet fallen. A moment suspended in time. The hour when a man is at last in harmony with the world and with light.” Mitsouko (1919), the Japanese word for mystery, was a favorite of Serge Diaghilev. Shalimar was introduced in 1925 to coincide with the International Exposition of Decorative Arts. (Jean Patou introduced Amour Amour that same year.) The name was intended to evoke the gardens of the Taj Mahal. Guerlinade is the word coined to encapsulate the special qualities of the company's confectionary aromas.
Paul Poiret was the first fashion designer to commission a fragrance, with a letterhead designed by Georges Lepape in 1911. Chanel No. 5 was named for its launch date, 5 May 1921. When asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn Monroe replied, “Chanel No. 5.” A young apprentice milliner, Jeanne Lanvin, was nicknamed the “Omnibus Kid” after she ran her bus to save the car fare. After she made her fortune in fashion, she brought out Arpege in 1927, inspired by her daughter’s piano practice. She also created the sulphurous My Sin, a fragrance that contained more than sixty different floral notes.
Perfume also has a place in the sacred as well as profane worlds. It is customary for a lotus flower to be placed at the feet of the Buddha and, for the ancient Egyptians, its fragrance was a presentment of divine life. Today, Greeks still strew sheaves of laurel and myrtle on church floors each morning.
Sexual dimorphism is reified in the notion that flowers are said to be gentle and “feminine”., while animal essences such as civet, musk and ambergris express the depth of “masculinity.”
Grasse, in eastern Provence, where the first perfumers’ guild was founded in 1582, is often called ‘the cradle of perfumery.” Perfumes came in handy to m ask the smell of the area’s tanning factories. The 17th century was a time of planting: oranges, carnations, jasmine and violets. The local abundance of flora is still prized by great perfumers.
Eau de cologne is a mixture of lemon, orange, bergamot, rosemary, and neroli. The classic 4711 appeared by 1792, made by the Muhlens family of Germany, although its exact origins are unclear.
In Paris, Madame du Barry, Marie Antoinette, and Napoleon’s Empress Josephine became clients of the city’s first perfumier, Jean-Francois Houbigant.
Pierre-Francois Guerlain opened his shop in 1828 on the Rue de Rivoli. Guerlain perfumes are identifiable by their disturbing fascination. Their first masterpiece, Jicky, a blend of flowers and civet supposedly named for an English girl who broke Aime Guerlain’s heart, was created in 1889, the year of the Eiffel Tower. About L’Heure Bleue (1912), composed of roses, iris, musk, and vanilla, Jacques Guerlain wrote: “The sun has set but the night
hasn’t yet fallen. A moment suspended in time. The hour when a man is at last in harmony with the world and with light.” Mitsouko (1919), the Japanese word for mystery, was a favorite of Serge Diaghilev. Shalimar was introduced in 1925 to coincide with the International Exposition of Decorative Arts. (Jean Patou introduced Amour Amour that same year.) The name was intended to evoke the gardens of the Taj Mahal. Guerlinade is the word coined to encapsulate the special qualities of the company's confectionary aromas.Paul Poiret was the first fashion designer to commission a fragrance, with a letterhead designed by Georges Lepape in 1911. Chanel No. 5 was named for its launch date, 5 May 1921. When asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn Monroe replied, “Chanel No. 5.” A young apprentice milliner, Jeanne Lanvin, was nicknamed the “Omnibus Kid” after she ran her bus to save the car fare. After she made her fortune in fashion, she brought out Arpege in 1927, inspired by her daughter’s piano practice. She also created the sulphurous My Sin, a fragrance that contained more than sixty different floral notes.
Perfume also has a place in the sacred as well as profane worlds. It is customary for a lotus flower to be placed at the feet of the Buddha and, for the ancient Egyptians, its fragrance was a presentment of divine life. Today, Greeks still strew sheaves of laurel and myrtle on church floors each morning.
The Greek glass perfume bottles pictured at right are in the collection of the Louvre Museum, Paris.
Note: The red and black Art Deco "Pierrot" perfume bottle was designed and produced by the Bernardaud Manufacterers of Limoges in 1930 and dedicated "A la Reine d'Angleterre." Musee Andre Dubouche, Limoges.
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4 comments:
Ahh, so many scents wafted through the olfactory site in my brain. I can't think of a word to describe "thought smelling." Can anyone else? My mother used to receive Evening in Paris perfume on Christmas from us. (I can't remember how many dimes and nickels we had to save.) I used to wear Shalimar before I smelled it on a little old lady in an elevator in Charleston, S.C. Chanel No. 5 was a perfume a former employer used to bathe in! Myself, I love Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel!
Oh my, just reading "classic 4711" brought back the aroma that hung in my Great-Grandmama's closet, in her room and all about her. My favorite is Pherómone - the story behind that is fascinating. It incorporates an ancient Egyptian recipe, if I remember correctly.
Jeanne, when I was in New York City last May, I tried on the perfume of my dreams at Bergdorf Goodman - Daim Blond by Serge Lutens. I resolved to get Daim Blond, but flat tires, brake jobs, catalytic converters, and lost jobs keep getting in the way. Yes, beautiful perfumes are magical. My mother used to give my grammar school teachers (all women) Chanel No. 5 for Christmas.
And a pop quiz question for all you male readers: Do you think the man who tried to pick me up by complimenting my perfume by saying it reminded him of his mother succeeded? To find out the answer, just ask the nearest woman.
Rouchswahlwe,I hope the blue and gold 4711 logo hasn't been changed to something more modern - there's so much history wrapped up in it. "The Book of Perfume" by Elizabeth Barille & Catherine Laroze (Paris, Flammarion: 1995) contains an extesnive catalogue of perfumes, the types that they are and the years they were introduced. This article is a fond remembrance of my college classmate Lucia Burnet, a chemistry major who wanted to be a perfumer.
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