The origins of the heart-filled day was named after the patron saint St. Valentine. However, history shows that there could have been two men named Valentine that might have inspired the holiday. One Valentine was a Roman priest in the third century who ignored Emperor Claudius II's ban on marriage. Claudius thought marriage distracted many young soldiers. But in the spirit of love, Valentine was illegally marrying couples until he was caught and sentenced to death.
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Another man named Valentine was helping Christians escape from Roman prisons and sent the first "valentine" message when he wrote a letter and signed it "From your Valentine."
And then some historians believe that the day commemorates the death of St. Valentine, while others believe that the holiday has its origins from a fertility festival in ancient Rome. This festival was celebrated by sacrificing animals and then smacking women with the animal hides. The Romans believed this practice encouraged fertility!
Today, associating the holiday with the tradition of love and romance, has its roots in the Middle Ages, as some believed that birds started their mating season on February 14th.
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What about cupid? He can be traced back to Eros, the Greek god of love. He was considered a handsome man with powers that made people fall in love. Around the 4th century, the Romans linked Eros to the image of an adorable little boy with a bow and arrow, naming him "Cupid." By the late 1800s, Cupid was linked to February 14th because of his love-matching powers.
According to the History Extra website, the first valentine sent was a poem written by a French Duke named Charles in 1415. He wrote a note to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. A line in the poem read "I am already sick of love, my gentle Valentine." Was he a romantic? Not quite sure!
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People began exchanging handwritten cards and notes to lovers and friends during the 1600s and by 1840, the first Valentine's Day cards began to be mass-produced in the US. Esther Howland founded a successful valentine company in 1848 in Worcester, Massachusetts called the New England Valentine Company. She used lithographed pictures, embossed paper and lace to manufacture beautiful cards to compete with the imported European valentines that were dominating the market. Here are a sampling of her cards pictured below.
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Her simple cards originally sold for a nickel and the more ornate cards with ribbons, lace and envelopes that could hold special messages, locks of hair or even jewelry, could sell for a dollar to fifty dollars! She also created created Christmas, New Years and birthday cards.
Known as the "Mother of the American Valentine," Howland is credited with commercializing Valentine's Day cards in the US.
Vintage Valentine's Day cards with vanity items are a popular collecting category and Perfume Passage is sharing their collection in binders that are on display throughout the galleries.
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According to Hallmark, over 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every February 14, and that doesn't include those exchanged by children in classrooms. Hallmark began producing Valentine cards in 1913 and now Valentine's Day has become the second biggest holiday for exchanging cards, after Christmas. Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers and wives.
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The study and collecting of postcards, known as deltiology, from the Greek word deltion, which is a small writing tablet, became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as they became very popular as an easy and fast method of communicating.
And what better way to express your love and affection but on a Valentine themed postcard? And if the postcard features a Valentine themed vanity item...
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According to the National Retail Foundation, Americans spent over $27 billion on Valentine's Day gifts in 2020, including $2.4 billion on candy alone! Like most, collectors love candy and love receiving it on Valentine's Day, but to a vanity collector, nothing says love like a perfume or compact to add to our collections.
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Several compact companies, such as Elgin American, produced a variety of heart shaped compacts that were perfect to give to a wife or sweetheart in the 1940-50s. They also advertised that their heart shaped compacts made perfect Valentine gifts in the 1950s (pictured below).
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Zell produced this gold tone heart shaped powder compact in the 1940s that had etched designs on the front, along with a slot that came with a cardboard key. The user was meant to replace the cardboard key with their own.
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Volupte made this gold tone powder compact in the 1940-50s that alluded to romance with two pairs of legs on lid as if the lady was kissing her gent.
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And what better way to express your love to the compact collector in your life than with this 1940s heart shaped powder compact with expressions of love in 11 different languages!
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Ripley & Gowen from Attleboro, Massachusetts made this enamel heart shaped compact in several different floral enamel designs. The inside included a mirror, powder area and heart shaped powder puff.
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Estee Lauder added to the Valentine gift wish list with many heart shaped powder compacts with sparkling Swarovski crystals.
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Perfume has always been a special gift to give on Valentine's Day. It's romantic and personal and when you wear it you'll remember receiving it from your loved one. Best of all is that you can enjoy the scent throughout the year. February 14 is also the perfect day to give a collector a heart and love themed perfume bottle for their collection.
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The Czech perfume display at Perfume Passage includes two mini clear cut glass bottles with red heart shaped stoppers.
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The Schiaparelli ad below has a Salvador Dali designed heart shaped powder box for Schiaparelli's Shocking Radiance face powder. The powder came in a silk pouch.
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Shulton issued Heartbeat in 1943. The scent was a vibrant floral blend.
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The German Porzellanfabrik Triebner, Ens & Company made this adorable porcelain heart shaped atomizer with a cupid. It's hand painted with violets and leaves and the cupid has blue wings, delicate fingers and appealing dimples! It measures 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" and was made in 1895.
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Serge Mansau is an artist, sculptor, and scenographer who gained international recognition in the 1960s throughout the perfume industry. This is a prototype of duo bottles created in methacrylate (acrylic), carved with a heart. It measures 7" tall.
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The front of this 1924 heart shaped paper fan advertises Paul Poiret's Rosine Coeur en Folie scent. It has the image of a nude Folies Bergere dancer sitting on top of a heart. The scent was launched in 1922 and was formally introduced at the 1925 Paris Exposition. The name means "Heart Madness" also known as "Heart on Fire" in French. The perfume was named after the Folies Bergere performance "Coeur en Folie."
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A fun 1947 Bombi Bouquet Perfume Card promoting their new The Dancing Heart scent. According to their advertisement, you should wear the scent if you felt a little deviltry creeping into your angelic soul!!
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A 1978 Brut Valentine store counter display that reads: Give him love and BRUT. In that order!
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A wonderful 1900s five piece sterling chatelaine with a finger ring. The pieces include a heart shaped compact with puff, perfume, nickel coin holder, pencil and celluloid dance pad. The pieces have scroll designs and have the initial B on them.
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3" square Lucky Heart company (Tennessee) powder box with a couple kissing in a heart on the lid.
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This 1930s silverplate heart shaped beauty box has a cupid on the lid. The inside held powder, rouge and a lipstick. It was made by the Connecticut Weidlich Bros. company and originally sold for $2.00.
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A sweet 1900s unmarked 2-1/4" x 1-3/4" heart shaped painted porcelain perfume bottle with a hinged cap with glass stopper.
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We all know the power of advertising and for most cosmetic companies, large or small, it's always a smart marketing strategy to produce advertisements specifically made for most occasions, especially Valentine's Day. The ephemera collection at Perfume Passage includes many fun vintage Valentine's Day ads promoting vanity items.
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A 1969 The New Bracers Be Big Hearted Valentine's ad.
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What To Give Him on Valentine's Day Cologne ad from the February 1977 Playgirl magazine.
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Helena Rubinstein advertised their new “heart shaped” lipstick in a 1950's ad that said the lipstick gives the lips a smooth seductive sheen.
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The bottles pictured in this 1971 Guerlain advertisement are all on display at Perfume Passage. The ad's message that each holds a love story even before it holds a drop of perfume, is one reason we love Guerlain's scents!
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Those pastel colored conversation heart candies that we can't resist buying every February got their start as throat lozenges?
Oliver Chase (pictured below), a Boston pharmacist invented a machine that simplified the way medical lozenges could be made. His invention led to the first candy-making machine in the US. Chase started making candy instead of lozenges and founded the New England Confectionary Company, or Necco. Those candy lozenge shaped sugary treats became what we know today as Necco wafers!
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Avon made fun scented bath soaps in the shape of conversation hearts.
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“XOXO” is a popular signature around Valentine's Day, but it didn't always mean hugs and kisses. Its origins are from the Middle Ages as it's been said that during those times the “X” symbolized the Christian cross, and letters often ended with the sign of the cross and a kiss to symbolize an oath. As the XOXO letters became more popular, they started to mean that something had been “sealed with a kiss.”
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XOXO Luv for women Eau de Parfum Spray was launched by the design house of XOXO in 2014. It's a mild fruity summer scent.
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While the term "lovebirds" is a popular figure of speech, it's also a common name for the Agapornis bird. They're a type of parrot found in Africa that usually travels in pairs, so that could be why many affectionate couples are referred to as lovebirds.
The lovebirds on this 1950s powder compact are under a domed lid and it has a mirror on the bottom.
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And did you know that nearly six million couple become engaged on Valentine's Day. I wonder how many men actually proposed to their future wives in 1925 with this compact ring, promising her a real ring with a diamond one day?!
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Romantic Perfume Trivia...
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Romantic Perfumes That Are Perfect To Wear on Valentine's Day:
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Estée Lauder's, Beautiful Belle Love
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Giorgio Armani's, Si Fiori Eau de Parfum
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Guerlain's, Mon Guerglain Eau de Parfum Fiorale
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Versace's, Crystal Noir
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Jo Malone's, London Red Rose Cologne
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Dior's, Miss Dior Cherie
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Gucci's, Bloom
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Dolce & Gabbana's, Pour Femme
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One of the most romantic perfumes of all time is Chanel No. 5. This 100 year old fragrance is as well-known as the woman who made it famous--Coco Chanel.
Marilyn Monroe was once asked in a now-iconic interview, what she wore to bed. Her response? Chanel No. 5. The scent contains notes of rose, jasmine, citrus and vanilla which, according to Chanel, gives it an "incredibly sensual trail."
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Another of the most romantic scents is Shalimar. This passionate fragrance was created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921. He was inspired by Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor of India, and for whom the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore were built. It has an unmistakable romantic quality to each whiff. Its top notes consists of bergamot, mandarin, lemon, cedar, orange and citrus. The heart notes are floral with a blend of iris, jasmine, rose and patchouli. The base notes are vanilla, sandalwood and a whole lot of musk. With a little bit of everything, Shalimar is certainly a fragrance for the heart!
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Perfume Passage Foundation is dedicated to preserving the history, beauty, and artistry of perfume bottles, compacts, ephemera and related vanity items. The Foundation seeks to educate and inspire visitors by illuminating the connection between perfume and the human experience.
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We will be reopening soon with the following offerings.
Types of tours include:
- Private docent-guided tours
- Group tours
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Symphony of Scents and Sounds
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