The history of Perfume

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I came across this succinct press release from FIT in 2003, and thought how pleasant it would be to have a thread for the history of perfume. I would have loved to see the exhibit.

The Museum at FIT's upcoming exhibition, Temptation, Joy, and Scandal: Fragrance and Fashion, 1900-1950, on view February 24 through April 10, 2004, explores an alliance between two French luxury industries - fragrance and fashion - which gave birth to products of enduring glamour and romance. Featuring hundreds of fashion house perfumes and their presentations – the bottles, boxes and other packaging that accompanied each scent – the exhibition traces the evolution of a thriving industry which continues to support couture houses today. In addition, the exhibition focuses not only on the value of these exquisite perfume bottles as artistic treasures, but also on the social, cultural, and economic relevance of the fragrance industry.

Temptation, Joy, and Scandal: Fragrance and Fashion, 1900-1950 is organized and curated by graduate students in FIT's Museum Studies: Costumes and Textiles. Highlighted in the exhibition are legendary perfumes created during the first half of the 20th century by such fashion houses as Poiret, Chanel, Lanvin, Vionnet, Patou, Lelong, Schiaparelli, and Dior, as well as by fashion accessory houses such as André Perugia, Caroline Reboux, and Louis Vuitton. In addition to establishing the importance of fragrance in sustaining the haute couture, the show provides an exciting and rare opportunity to experience many historic scents firsthand. Also on view, from The Museum at FIT’s own collection, will be a selection of fashion accessories presented to illustrate how closely fragrance presentations mirrored fashion trends of the time.

In 1911, Paul Poiret became the first couturier to enter the long-established French perfume industry, followed ten years later by Chanel, the first designer to associate her name and image with a fragrance. The connection between fragrance and fashion evolved throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and was expressed in a number of creative fragrance presentations. Vionnet and the Boué Soeurs made this link subtly by incorporating fabric into their perfume packages, while Schiaparelli used more flamboyant means in her groundbreaking Shocking bottle, shaped like a dress form. At the same time, some designers created fragrance presentations that resembled fashion accessories, while others alluded to the interior décor of couture houses. Dior's Miss Dior, for instance, introduced in 1947 – the year of the New Look – was presented standing before a miniature dressing room mirror, like a client at a couture fitting.

The exhibition will also draw from the collection of the Fragrance Foundation and the private collection of renowned fragrance expert Christie Mayer Lefkowith. The bottles on display will demonstrate the incredible diversity and creativity expressed in perfume presentations. Each one a tiny work of art, perfume bottles and their associated packaging served as a medium for many of the era’s fine artists and glassmakers. The list of contributors comprises a veritable “Who's Who” of early 20th-century art and design. Glassmakers such as René Lalique and Julien Viard provided perfumers with exquisite crystal bottles while avant-garde artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Fernand Léger, and Paul Iribe frequently designed the packaging and advertisements. The vast range of styles and shapes of perfume bottles reflects the changing art movements of the day, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, from Cubism to Surrealism.

Not only does the exhibition allow visitors to experience the beauty of perfume presentations, but it also discusses what is inside the bottle – the scents themselves. Just like fashion, fragrance preferences changed over the years, evolving from simple floral scents in the early 1900s to later, more complex blends of natural and synthetic ingredients. The exhibition will introduce audiences to the master perfumers behind legendary fragrances, including Ernest Beaux, creator of Chanel No 5; Henri Alméras, creator of Joy; and Edmond Roudnitska, creator of Femme; as well as important women pioneers such as Mme. Zed, creator of Lanvin’s My Sin; and Blanche Arvoy, founder of two perfume companies, Jovoy and Corday.

The first half of the 20th century saw the emergence of the modern woman. Couture houses celebrated her with an array of sleek, streamlined, body-shaped bottles, and perfume names such as Femme du Jour and Femme Moderne. It is only natural that women became increasingly prominent in two industries that so strongly catered to their tastes and desires. In addition to the women who became industry leaders, the exhibition also discusses celebrities and other fashionable women who inspired many classic scents.

fitnyc.edu

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Paul Poiret

Arlequinade, les Parfums de Rosine, Glass - France - 1920

Vaporizers, les Parfums de Rosine, Glass - France - circa 1920

museesdegrasse.com

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Paul Poiret

La véritable Eau de Cologne de Rosine, les Parfums de Rosine, Glass - France - circa 1920

museesdegrasse.com

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Parfums De Rosine

In 1911, fashion designer Paul Poiret set up two companies, one for each of his daughters. For Martine, the youngest, he established Les Ateliers de Martine. For Rosine, the eldest, he established Parfums de Rosine. Both enterprises flourished until Poiret fell victim to the stock market crash of 1929.

Les Ateliers de Martine trained talented girls from less fortunate families in the decorative arts. They were introduced to modern art and artists. They took sketching trips. They learned to weave and to decorate ceramics and glass. They also were involved in the creation of some of the bottles and packaging for Parfums de Rosine. Today many of the objects created by the "Martines" are valuable collectibles.

Parfums de Rosine was a success from the beginning. François Coty is said to have tried to buy the company. Though details as to who worked on what project are sketchy, we do know that Poiret employed perfumers Emannuel Bouler (they are seen together in a photography), Maurice Shaller and Henri Alméras. Later Shaller created Carnet du Bal for Revillion (1937). Alméras created Joy (1930) and other fragrances for Jean Patou.

Besides the work of the Martines, package and advertising design was also suggested by artists employed by Poiret including Erté, Raul Duffy and Paul Iribe.
Paul Poiret is regarded as the first fashion designer to bring out his own perfume. However, unlike Coco Chanel whose Chanel No. 5 first appeared in 1921 — ten years after Poiret had begun selling his "designer perfume" — Poiret never linked his name to either the names of his perfumes or to perfume company he had established for his daughter.

Although precise records appear not to exist, it is known that many of Poiret's fragrances from about 1918 on were created by perfumer Henri Alméras who, after leaving Poiret, joined Jean Patou and numbered Joy among his creations for Patou.

perfumeprojects.com

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Nuit de Chine by Parfums de Rosine

perfumeprojects.com

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If you are interested in a book about M. Poiret's adventures in perfume, there is a wonderful book out by Christie Mayer Lefkowith. Not available on amazon.com, but you can go to Ms. Lefkowith's website here: [url="http://www.mayerlef.com[/URL], in French and English.



boisdejasmin.typepad.com

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Just because I adore Lalique!

1910 Blue Lalique crystal. Relief decoration, with three different figures depicting goddess Diana the Hunter. Art Nouveau metal lid.

museudelperfum.com (great site!)

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Elsa Schiaparelli. From left to right: Succes Fou, Sleeping, SI, Le Roi Soleille, Snuff, Shocking and Zut.



museudelperfum.com

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Pierre François Pascal Guerlain created Eau de Cologne Impériale for Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, launched in 1853. Citrus, with orange, lemon, bergamot, rosemary and neroli.



style.com

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Originally launched in 1911, this is a c. 1925 Parfums de Rosine bottle, from Paul Poiret. The perfume was developed by Poiret's perfumer, Emmanual Boulet.



style.com

[masquerade]

The piped shaped bottle by Schiaperelli was a collaboration with Rene Magritte

[DosViolines]

"Ambre de Delhi," a DEPINOIX perfume bottle for Babani, circa 1920, in clear glass, with enamel and gilt decoration.

ragoarts.com