Saturday, February 23, 2013

Parfumerie Roussel

Parfumerie Roussel was founded in 1852, the family owned company was related to Maurice Roussel who founded the perfume company Silka in 1909.

Parfumerie Roussel was the producer of the very successful Eau Gorlier in the 19th century.




Evans Atarmist & Ronsons Perfu-mist Perfume Atomizers c1930s

Starting in the early 1930s, Evans, famous for their compacts and Ronson, famous for their lighters, brought out curious perfume flacons, both were similar and having the shape of a cigarette lighter, but sprayed perfume instead. Quite unique and daring for the time when it was still a little unladylike to smoke.


The Evans Atarmist came in two sizes, the larger one was meant to sit upon your vanity, whilst the smaller size was meant to be carried in your purse or pocket.


Ronson's Perfu-Mist also came in two sizes, one for the pocket or purse and one dubbed the Boudoir model, which was a large size and featured a handle.


Popular decorative motifs were engine turned designs, tooled leather, studded with jewels or marcasites, mother of pearl, goldtone metal or chromium plated finishes and French enamel. Some models were made of sterling silver.


Here are three pages from  May & Malone Co. catalog from1931 illustrating the various Atarmists and sets from their current line.







photos from ebay seller gdawg


Vintage Boudoirs of the Stars #1

I love pictures of old boudoirs, especially of those belonging to the stars, whether they were their personal sanctuaries of beauty or sets from a movie. The exquisite vanities filled with all sorts of perfume bottles and dresser accessories never fail to pique my interest.




Barbara Pepper (1915 - 1969) - Photo via Rantings of a Modern Day Glamour Girl. In this photo I can identify several perfume bottles of Guerlain's Vol de Nuit/Sous Le Vent, Chanel, Caron's Bellodgia, Caron's Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi, a Lalique perfume bottle, Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden, Ciro's Reflexions, Infusion de Parfum by Ybry, Essence Rare by Houbigant, Patou's Joy, New Horizons by Ciro, Zibeline by Weil, as well as a few Czech bottles and unknown bottles. She is holding the largest size of the Ybry perfumes, which is for the Toilet Water.




Bebe Daniels (1901 - 1971) in "Maltese Falcon" - Photo via Atavism from Rad Nauseam. I can see some vintage atomizers here.



Bebe Daniels (1901 - 1971) - Photo via Things and Other Stuff. Looks like a large bottle of Rigaud's Un Air Embaumee.


Colleen Moore (1900 - 1988) - Photo via Starlet Showcase. Can't make out what most of the stuff is on her vanity, but I do see one Guerlain bottle and several French atomizers, possibly by Lalique.

Joan Crawford (1905 - 1977) - Photo by New Movie Magazine, Jan 1931 via Allure





Lotte Lorring (1893 - 1939) - Photo via Starlet Showcase








Marlene Dietrich (1901 - 1992), she has tons of bottles, everywhere! I see a Lucien Lelong bottle to the left.





Marion Shilling (1910 - 2004) - Photo via Starlet Showcase. Two gorgeous atomizers, probably from Volupte or DeVilbiss and a large Guerlain, either Mitsouko or L'Heure Bleue to her right.




Miriam Hopkins (1902 - 1972) - Photo via Allure. Several Czech perfume bottles shown here, some with intaglio stoppers.





Liz Taylor, I can see some Czech bottles and Caron's Bellodgia, Czech mini bottle as well as other unknown bottles.






Unknown actress/model, various Victorian to 1920s perfume bottles on vanity, mostly the dauber type. Picture looks to be from the late 1930s - early 1940s.



Janet Gaynor, she has a very tall 1920s perfume atomizer on her vanity!



Beverly Roberts, circa 1937, beautiful Czech perfume in the forefront and nice dresser set with portrait shown.








Evelyn Brent, c1930 with her perfume cabinet holding various bottles, including Ybry on the bottom shelf.



Anita Page, c1920s. Many commercial perfumes including Caron's Nuit de Noel, Caron's Naimez Que Moi, and others. She is sniffing the end of a glass dauber from the matching dresser set on her vanity (you can see the atomizer and powder jar just to her right).



German actress Freidl Haerlin, c1930, several perfumes on her vanity, including an atomizer.



Pola Negri, c1920s, holding a Guerlain atomizer (spraying her coiffure with brilliantine).




Myrna Loy, c1931, many crystal perfume bottles are displayed on her vanity.



Sylvia Sidney, c1930, Guerlain, Molinard, Elizabeth Arden, Lentheric, D'Orsay's Toujours Fidele, Myon and Caron's Bellodgia amongst others including Czech examples.



Marie Prevost, c9120, holding Czech splatter glass atomizer.



Ginger Rogers, 1940s, holding large atomizer






Ann Miller, c1950






Rita Hayworth, c1940, holding Caron's Bellodgia.







Jeanette McDonald, c1930, showing Czech perfumes as well as a tall DeVilbiss or French atomizer.






Alexander Rodchenko - Portrait au flacon, ca. 1930.



Dorothy Lee, c1930, Czech perfume bottles, Ciro's Chevalier de la Nuit on far left, De Raymond's Pinx on right of dog figure.






Rita Hayworth, c1942. Her vanity is covered with perfume bottles, some look to be factices as they are huge! I see Shocking by Schiaparelli, other Schiaparelli bottles, Lucien Lelong's Indiscret, several bottles of Jean Patou's bottles, other bottles by Lanvin and Chanel, Bellodgia by Caron.







Lana Turner's Perfume Cabinet. The extremely large bottle is Far East by Carlyle. Top Shelf: Mon Image by Lucien Lelong, a Poiret perfume, Jabot by Lucien Lelong, a tiny Prince Matchabelli crown bottle, on far left a Guerlain possibly Jicky, and others. Middle Shelf: Moment Supreme by Jean Patou, Joy by Jean Patou, Evening in Paris by Bourjois, Chanel. Grand Prix by Charbert. Bottom Shelf:  a Tuvache perfume in the center, really hard to tell what is what...






Welcome!

This is not your average perfume blog. In each post, I present perfumes or companies as encyclopedic entries with as much facts and photos as I can add for easy reading and researching without all the extraneous fluff or puffery.

Please understand that this website is not affiliated with any of the perfume companies written about here, it is only a source of reference. I consider it a repository of vital information for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by. Updates to posts are conducted whenever I find new information to add or to correct any errors.

One of the goals of this website is to show the present owners of the various perfumes and cologne brands that are featured here how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table, did you like the bottle design), who knows, perhaps someone from the company brand might see it.

Also, if you have any information not seen here, please comment and share with all of us.

Featured Post

Faking Perfume Bottles to Increase Their Value

The issue of adding "after market" accents to rather plain perfume bottles to increase their value is not new to the world o...