A Note From The Founders...S
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It's the middle of winter in Chicago, the new year is six weeks old, super bowl parties are behind us and we continue to eat Valentine's Day chocolates!
We're still in celebration mode at Perfume Passage and we thought this month was the perfect time to acknowledge two of the world's largest festivals - Mardi Gras and Carnival - through our perfumes and vanity items!
We don't own this 1952 Wadsworth Mardi Gras compact, but what a fun souvenir it would have been if you attended the New Orleans event 72 years ago!
Please enjoy the histories of these celebratory themed items that are on display throughout the galleries.
Perfume Passage is celebrating our fifth anniversary in 2024! We look forward to celebrating with you in the coming year!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey and Rusty, Co-founders
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Did you know that the word Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday? This day is the final day of celebrations before Ash Wednesday, when the season of Lent starts. And did you also know that the time between the Epiphany--January 6th, or Three Kings Day, is not only the end of the 12 days of Christmas; it's also the start of Carnival?
Whichever name you use for these six weeks in 2024 (February 13 to March 31), they are celebrated throughout the world with parades and beads, masked balls with costumes, elaborate dinners and of course, family traditions.
Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to the pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, and when Rome's Pope Gregory XIII incorporated many of the traditions into the Christian faith in the 16th century.
In the late 17th, century King Louis XIV of France sent Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne and his brother Pierre to the US to defend France's claim to the Louisiana territory. Upon their arrival near what is now New Orleans, they named the area "Pointe du Mardi Gras," as it was the eve of the festivities. History shows that the events during this time were the first American Mardi Gras celebrations and centuries later they continue on!
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Many perfumes, compacts and vanity items can be found with celebration themes, not specifically produced to celebrate Mardi Gras or Carnival, but they certainly bring to mind these February events!
This Elgin American gold-tone compact has embossed masks all over the lid and the inside includes a mirror and powder area. It dates from the 1940s.
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Often called the greatest show on earth, Brazil's Rio Carnival is an annual iconic event, celebrated with thousands of visitors to the country from all over the world.
As a world-wide attraction, Rio's Carnival has grown over the years, from its religious-rooted traditions to huge feasts and celebrations that culminate on Fat Tuesday before Lent begins.
The early traditions of the Portuguese settlers that arrived in Brazil in the 15th century included events honoring the Greek gods and masquerade balls similar to those celebrated by the upper class throughout Europe. In addition, African workers brought to Brazil shared their customs and culture, which can now be found in the masks, costumes and music of modern-day Rio celebrations.
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Brazilians traditionally love fragrances, and they're one of the largest perfume markets in the world. It's been said that over 90% of Brazilians own fragrances and most wear them regularly!
Brazilia Eau de Cologne Pour Homme (left) was made in France and distributed by Mantigo in Los Angeles in 1988. The bottle has an interesting design with layered geometric sides and a toucan bird on the box.
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The Carnevale di Venezia (Carnival of Venice) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy, which ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks.
History shows that the event began after a military victory in 1162, when people gathered for celebrations in San Marco Square. Dancing, feasts and wearing masks were part of the festivities.
Today, this area is the principal public square of Venice, also known as la Piazza (the Square). Festivals continued into the 17th and 18th centuries until they were outlawed in 1797, and the wearing of masks was forbidden.
Carnival returned to Venice in 1979 as the Italian government wanted to re-introduce the history and culture of Venice to the world, using the festivities of the ancient Carnival. Masks became an important part of the event again, which now includes a contest for the most beautiful mask, judged by international costume and fashion designers.
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Vanity Items to Celebrate... |
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Perfumes and vanity items such as compacts, hankies and powder boxes with celebration and mask themes aren't too common, and while they're not associated with Mardi Gras or Carnival, they're a relatable collectible for this month!
Introduced in a November 1941 Christmas ad, the Harlequin compact by Elizabeth Arden sold for $3.50 and came with a lipstick. The dimensional-looking powder case came in a gold tone and nine enameled colors. There was a limited production of these now collectible compacts as the US government banned the use of many metals due to war efforts.
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Perfume Passage is on the hunt for all 10 of the mask compacts! We currently only have the gold tone, red, blue and turquoise colors in the collection. IPBA Past President and Elizabeth Arden aficionado Terri Chappell-Boyd shared this photo of her 10 mask compacts! |
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Dorothy Gray made a mask themed powder compact in the 1940s called the "Savoir Faire." They also made a hard to find mini perfume and lipstick that included the same black enamel mask as a decoration.
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The mask compact sold for $10 in this 1947 Dorothy Gray advertisement that also featured the matching lipstick and perfume. |
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Linetti presentation of a musician during Carnival. The fragrance is Notte di Venezia. |
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A 1928 ad for 4711 cologne features a costumed couple with the French words "Riez, Dansez, Chantez, c'est le Carnaval!" (laugh, dance, sing, it's Carnaval!) |
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This 3-1/4" round Polichi Spanish powder box from the 1920s has a lady wearing a black mask on the lid. The back has a see-through area that shows the powder shade called Rachel. |
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Another celebratory powder box image was from the Herbert Roystone company that used two well-known figures--Pierrot, the love-sick clown from the Commedia Dell'Arte (theater), and his flirtatious wife Columbine--on most of his La May makeup products beginning around 1917. |
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This 1930-40s red hanky has an image of a masked woman with the printed French words Rouge et Noir and Serviteur Madame (red and black and lady servant). Red hankies were also referred to as "lipstick" hankies, as they were a fashionable answer to the dilemma of a lady soiling white linen napkins with her brightly colored lipstick!
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Lentheric used a mask in this 1948 advertisement for their Confetti
perfume. An appropriate-sounding celebration fragrance name!
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The French magazine Votre Beaute included a mask as their advertisement for Caron in the 1940s, titled Les Cent Fards De Caron (The Hundred Shadows).
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L.T. Piver's Mascarade is a fragrance for women launched in 1928. This perfume card for the scent included a 1938 calendar on the back. |
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This 1920s Robj powder box is on display in the Deco gallery. |
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Terre de Retz was a line of doll-shaped powder boxes introduced by the famed French department store Galeries Lafayette around 1920. They were designed by Georges Duchesne, and many are signed G. Duchesne. They came in a variety of styles, ranging from Marie Antoinette-era fashions to 1920s flappers. Constructed from a paper-based material, the powder box is hidden and fits into the top part of the doll. |
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Many perfume lovers save their favorite fragrances to wear on special occasions, as the memory of the event then becomes associated with a celebration. And if the fragrance has "celebration" as part of its name or design, wearing it on that special day certainly sets it apart from other scents.
Perfume Passage loves to celebrate fragrances and the memories they evoke; after all, isn't that how we began collecting some of our favorites seen here!
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Venise by Oriza L. Legrande was launched in 1925. This beautiful 4" bottle is a dress shape with a black glass stopper. The paper label shows a lady with a mask! It's embossed Paris, France, on the bottom with the name of the fragrance along the edge of her dress.
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Above is an ink and gauche of a Venetian woman by George Barber, dated 1922. This may have been inspiration for the Oriza bottle presentation. |
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Le Masque Venitien (The Venetian Mask) by artist Serge Mansau (1930-2019) is a 4" x 4.5" bottle that was purchased from his estate. It has a partially frosted, molded wolf decoration.
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Other Celebration Scents
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Celebrate N.O.W. by Escada is an amber floral fragrance for women launched in 2017.
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Bombshell Celebration by Victoria's Secret was introduced in 2021.
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Celebrate by Coty is considered an upbeat, sunny fragrance that was introduced in 1996.
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Celebration by Royal Crown is an aromatic unisex fragrance launched in 2011.
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Celebration by Fendi is a floral, fruity fragrance for women launched in 2004.
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- The Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold were assigned the meanings of justice, faith and power, respectively in the late 1890s. Estee Lauder issued powder compacts with bright Swarovski crystals in the Mardi Gras colors--African Nights 2003, Crystal Eden 2003 and Gold Crystal 2007.
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- "Throws” refer to the throwing of items to New Orleans parade attendees from parade floats. The items include beads, trinkets, small toys and plastic doubloon coins.
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Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the world but is most popular in Brazil, Venice and Louisiana, which is the only US state where it's been a legal holiday since 1875.
- Originally, masks were worn during Mardi Gras festivities so people could avoid social and class constraints, which created a sense of unity among revelers. Today, those riding on parade floats in New Orleans are required to wear masks during celebrations!
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Perfume Passage Journals... |
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Our Perfume Passage Journal allows us to share our collections and create reference material that is both useful for research and beautiful as a coffee table magazine!
Published three times a year, the magazine includes articles and information about the known history of specific companies and items in our galleries.
The 2024 Journal subscription program begins with our next publication about a fascinating US company--Vantine. Established in New York around 1866, the company introduced Asiatic goods to local buyers, including rugs, household items and toiletries along with a variety of perfumes.
If you haven't ordered the recent Journal, Issue 7, all about French perfumer and costumer Paul Poiret, it's available through our website. You won't want to miss the fascinating story of the first fashion couturier to launch his own line of perfumes and decorative accessories!
Information about all past Journal magazines and tour schedules are also available on the website.
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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, archivists and curators to keep this history alive. |
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Perfume Passage is closed through March as we're preparing for new displays, exhibits and special programming. You may find available tour dates starting in April on our website. However, if any of our perfume friends are planning a visit to the Windy City and would like to stop by for a tour, please contact us at: [email protected].
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Types of tours include:
- Private docent-guided tours
- Group tours
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Symphony of Scents and Sounds
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