March Madness and April Showers!
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Sometimes sports make history, sometimes sports is history!
Sports have been around since the beginning of time. Well, actually not since the beginning of time, but sports as we know them today, do take their origins from more primitive events and pastimes.
Although it's impossible to know for sure, wrestling and boxing are considered some of the first sports played, along with running competitions.
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History also shows us that people have always enjoyed competitions. In prehistoric times, hunters who ran fast and threw stones and spears accurately and farther, were considered valued members of their tribes.
In 776 BC, the Greeks held a sports event that honored Zeus, the greatest of all Greek gods. Men gathered in Olympia where they tested their strength, speed and skills in the first Olympic games.
These games were held every four years and continued for several centuries, even after the Romans conquered Greece, until the roman emperor ended them in 394 AD. The ruins of the Olympic stadium were discovered by archaeologists almost 1500 years later.
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Baron Pierre de Coubertin
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It was a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin (pictured above), that came up with the idea to hold modern international Olympic games and the first games of the new era were held in 1896 in Athens.
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So what does this brief sports history have to do with perfumes and vanity items? Well, we know our collectibles often revolve around themes and events going on in the world. As sports have evolved from an early form of entertainment to one of the most powerful industries in the world, our treasures often highlight this journey.
Besides, it's Springtime and after a long cold winter, we're ready for outdoor activities, and sports are often at the top of the list. The sports themed perfumes and vanity items on display throughout Perfume Passage certainly reflect the importance and popularity of just about every type of athletic event!
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) functions as a general legislative and administrative authority for men's and women's intercollegiate athletics. It formulates and enforces the rules of play for various sports and the eligibility criteria for athletes.
While we're sure the NCAA doesn't necessarily suggest that athletes wear certain fragrances while competing, collegiate themed perfume bottles and compacts are a fun college collectible and a way to remember our youthful days.
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Porcelain sports figures representing colleges and universities around the US were made under the Collegiate Cologne brand in the 1970s. In a hallway off the lower level foyer at Perfume Passage is a showcase with a display of these whimsical 6" figurines. Produced by the National Porcelain Company of Great Falls, Montana the school mascot bottles contained four ounces of fragrance.
We're not sure who produced the scent, but remembering some of the aromas of frat houses, locker rooms and dorm rooms, we hope the scent isn't reminiscent of those places!
Bill "Uke" Ukrainetz, of Great Falls was 89 years old when he passed away in 2015. He was born in Alberta, Canada and was the founder of the National Porcelain Company. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy after high school and toured the world as a radio and Morse code operator.
Uke returned home after the navy and attended a hockey training camp and eventually signed a contract to play hockey for a Great Falls hockey team. After a few years he opened a sporting goods store called Uke's Sports in the 1950s. At the same time he developed an interest in art. He met fledgling artists during his hockey travels and came up with the idea to commission some of the artists to draw and sculpt figurines of school mascots that he could sell to schools through his business.
The National Porcelain Company was then formed in 1971 with their first decanters called "Collegiate Colognes." So far we've found bottles that depict football players, basketball players, bowlers and cheerleaders. As these were sold to schools who would then place their own labels on them, it's sometimes a mystery as to which figurine represented which school!
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Oregon State Beavers Basketball
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Kentucky Wildcats Football
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Texas Longhorns Cheerleader
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Oklahoma City Chiefs Cheerleader
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket
Football
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Clemson Tigers
Cheerleader
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Uke sold his sporting goods store in the early 1970s and began to market decanters and colognes on a national level. He worked with distilling companies and designed and promoted the well-known "Mr. Lucky" liquor decanters that were sold through Kentucky's Hoffman Distilling. There were 43 different Mr. Lucky images manufactured and Uke soon developed a reputation as the "Bottle King!"
After working for other companies and producing decanters, including an Elvis figurine, he retired from the decanter business in the early 1990s, having produced over 1,900 different decanters/figurines for 18 major distilling companies.
While we certainly appreciate a good bourbon, we prefer our bottles on display to hold fragrances!
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SPORTS...
Fragrances that are called "sports scents" are a wonderful example of perfume marketing. These scents are usually lighter than their full strength fragrance and were also designed to capitalize on the original perfume.
These sports scents have nothing to do with sporting activities or events. But through clever marketing and promotions, it's implied that if you wore the fragrance you will magically develop into a sports star. In reality, they won't make you run faster, kick farther or sweat less!
There are a few good sports scents available, including Chanel Allure Homme Sport and Dior Homme. Allure, released in 2004, is considered an energizing fragrance with notes of freshness and sensuality and was promoted for the "man who loves the great outdoors and lives his life with style."
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Regardless of the origins of most sports, participating in any sporting event or activity has been heightened through television, internet and an increase in our leisure time. So it's a natural fit that the cosmetic industry participated in producing sports themed vanity items as perhaps we have a desire to not only wear the same fashions but wear the same fragrance as our sports idols! We hope you enjoy all the different sports information and some of the items that were made for those sport lovers!
Automobile racing is an international professional and amateur sport practiced throughout the world on roads, tracks or closed circuits. Racing probably began soon after the invention of the gasoline engine in the late 1800s. Racing themed perfume bottles have been popular gifts for decades for the race lover in your life.
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NASCAR cologne was issued by Wilshire Fragrance of Merrimack, New Hampshire in 1995. The NASCAR racing flag was featured on the bottle and box. The box included a pop up car on the top and read "inspired by the power, speed, and excitement of NASCAR racing."
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Grand Prix Cologne For The Man was issued in 1968 by Marcelle Cosmetics of New York. The bottle is shaped like a car's gear shift and both the label and box have an image of a racing flag.
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Barcelona's Segura company issued a Motor Racing Eau de Toilette in 1971.
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This 2002 Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir came with a Dale Earnhardt Jr. gift of a model racing car. In 2002 L'Oreal signed a $10 million sponsorship agreement with NASCAR race driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to endorse Drakkar Noir.
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You would think that wearing a fragrance might scare away the fish! But the fishing theme was popular on several mens colognes and aftershave boxes.
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Houbigant's 1987 Sportsman after shave shows a fish catching a dragonfly on the bottle.
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Yardley Duffle for Men was launched in 1951 with fishing images on the box.
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The governing body of golf is the United States Golf Association (USGA) which began in 1894. According to GolfSpan, there are approximately 15,500 golf courses in the US. Even though this number is constantly changing due to renovations, closings and new construction, the US includes approximately 43% of the golf courses in the world. So it's no wonder that there are a variety of golf related vanity items for the golf lovers.
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A fun 1930s silverplate beauty box with a black glass base. It has a lady golfer on the lid and was made by the Weidlich Bros. These vanity items included powder, rouge and lipstick inside.
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This Studio Girl after shave bottle is shaped like a golf bag and includes plastic clubs as the stopper. The box shows images of a golfer at a tournament with a crowd watching.
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Lancome Trophee for Men Eau de Toilette has a golfing theme and dates from 1982.
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This 1998 Tee Time Eau de Toilette by Anucci, is in the shape of a golf bag and has six golf clubs sticking up. The ad reads: Tee Time, the new and exciting fragrance by Anucci, pays the ultimate homage to the age old game of golf.
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Bobby Jones Eau de Toilette was introduced in 2000. Jones was a US amateur golfer and lawyer who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport. He also founded and helped design the Augusta National Golf Club, and co-founded the Masters Tournament.
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In 1874, Major Walter C. Wingfield received a patent for equipment and rules for a game that is very similar to modern tennis. That same year the first tennis courts appeared in the US. Without a doubt, tennis is a popular sport as approximately 87 million people play tennis around the world.
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Estee Lauder powder compact with dangling tennis racket charm from 1998.
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A nice painted porcelain figural scent bottle with a man standing in front of a tree with a racket in his right arm. An opening in the top of the tree trunk held the fragrance.
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The history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football in the late 1890s. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed and two years later the league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL). A rival league to the NFL, the American Football League (AFL), began play in 1960 and led to the creation of the Super Bowl, which has become the most watched television event annually in the US, and a later merger of the leagues.
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In 1971 New Jersey's Latour Game Plan Power Play Cologne for Men included a brochure insert titled Game Plan Action Toiletries for Men. The brochure advertised that the cologne was for "sports lovers who play the winning game, this longer lasting, more concentrated lotion scores for you." Their Face Guard After Shave with a blue helmet stopper promised to "cut down the opposition with this fresh, crisp, outdoorsy after shave."
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Elgin American made this 1930s football shaped brown enamel 3" powder compact. You don't have to be football fan to add this hard to find compact to your collection!
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There are thousands of activities, events and games that are considered a sport of some sort and many of the themed items below are on display throughout the Perfume Passage.
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Horse racing is one of the oldest of all sports, and its basic concept has undergone virtually no change over the centuries. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the US and is said to be the "the most exciting two minutes in sports.”
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An oval shaped 2-1/4" German porcelain painted crown top perfume has two horses with riders chasing a fox on the front and a rider blowing a horn on the back.
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This 3" brassy Henriette 1950s jockey cap compact has a black plastic brim with a red tie. Inside has a mirror and powder puff.
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A fun 1940s Elgin American powder compact that features racetracks throughout the US.
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My Style Eau de Cologne Acqua di Parma bottle and box with a fox hunting image.
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This 3" silverplate Pilcher (a Kentucky company), compact with an applied horse was a 1953 Kentucky Derby commemorative item for the Pendennis Club. Inside is a mirror and powder area.
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The 24th modern Olympic games is fresh in our minds as a total of 2,871 athletes took part in a record 109 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports. We wonder what additional Olympic themed vanity items will be produced!
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This Imari cologne bottle is shaped like the Olympic torch with a gold flame for the stopper. It's embossed Atlanta 1996 and the box has image of the Olympic rings.
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Avon's 1996 Triumph cologne came in a bottle shaped pedestal with the Olympic rings and a laurel wreath medallion as the cap.
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Estee Lauder introduced this 1996 powder compact to commemorate the Atlanta Olympic games!
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Compacts have been manufactured with just about every sports theme and are always great additions to any collection.
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A fun 1950s powder compact etched House League 1st team 1951-52 given to a bowling league champion!
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The eight ball compact by Henriette is one of the more popular figural compacts. It dates from the 1950s and includes a mirror and powder area inside.
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This silverplate JM Fisher deco enamel compact is called "Robinhood" and sold for $5.25 in 1930. Inside has a mirror, powder/rouge areas and two lipsticks.
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An enamel ice skater and skier are on the lids of these 1930s powder compacts.
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The 2" round rare baseball shaped compact is from the 1950s and has a mirror and powder area inside.
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Sportsman After Shave for Men has an image of men on horses chasing a fox on the bottle and box and was issued in 1964 by Richard Hudnut.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger posed as a strong man as he promoted Shulton's Old Spice on this 1970s cardboard display.
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In 1995 Parfums de Coeur of Darien, Connecticut issued their Malibu Musk cologne in a 1956 pink Chevy convertible 7" long car with a surf board.
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In 1983 the Spirit of Hockey cologne and after shave set were produced for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada.
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A 2-1/4" Polvos Venus de Nieve Spanish 1920s powder box shows a lady skiing on a mountain.
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Intimately Beckham Eau de Toilette was launched by soccer star David Beckham's fragrance company in 2006.
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This 1955 Castile shower soap is in the shape of boxing gloves!
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This 5" metal wire tricycle holds a 3" clear glass perfume bottle in the shape of a man's torso. It was made for Tappan Cycle Perfume and was advertised in this 1892 Boston Catalogue of Fancy Dry Goods, selling for $2.25 a dozen!
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A 3 3/4" molded glass 1920s perfume in the shape of a man riding a motorcycle!
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These three 1920s German Schafer and Vater company 2-1/2" crown top perfumes were part of their sports series.
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A 1933 photo shows a runner competing in the 20 mile championship of the London Road Walking Association race keeping cool as he is sprayed with cologne. This chap seems to like it!
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These vintage vanity themed postcards show skiers applying their lipstick on the slopes!
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Made In Chicago, Sports...
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These are just a few of the artifacts in our new exhibits that await you at Perfume Passage, For additional sneak peeks, follow us on instagram and Facebook using the links at the bottom of the newsletter.
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Michael Jordan cologne by Chicago Bull Michael Jordan was launched in 1996, at the height of his career.
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Chicago Bulls cologne in a decorative tin was introduced by Air Val International. They made fragrances for all the NBA teams. Air-Val International is a family business founded in Barcelona, Spain, in 1979. There are more than 400 perfumes and personal care products in the company’s portfolio, sold in over 90 countries.
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1985 was a memorable year for football in Chicago. Shulton's Old Spice Super Bowl Decanter was a glass bottle that sits on a black plastic base. It included all of the NFL 28 team sticker logos along with the Superbowl XX logo. And we all know who won Super Bowl XX! Shulton also released a Chicago Bears after shave to celebrate their victory.
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A lady attending a White Sox baseball game on a Tuesday, which was ladies day at the park in 1958, was given this painted metal powder compact as a promotion. We know of similar compact giveaways for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Mike Ditka, coach of the Bears in the 1980s had his own Sport Fragrance for Men, released in 2014.
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- Golf balls have on average, 336 dimples. Wonder how many this 1938 ladies golf ball compact has?
- The first 18-hole course in the US was the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, in 1893.
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- Basketball, invented in 1891 by James Naismith and volleyball, invented in 1895 by William Morgan, were designed to fulfill a perceived need for indoor games during the harsh New England winters.
- The Olympic tradition of awarding gold, silver and bronze medals didn’t begin until the 1904 games in St. Louis
- Like their ancient counterpart, the first modern Olympics in 1896 were an all-male event. Women later made their debut in the golf and tennis events at the 1900 Paris games.
- In 1971, Apollo astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell made history when they became the first to play a sport on the moon. Shepard hit a golf ball while Mitchell threw a makeshift javelin.
- Major League Baseball umpires are required to wear black underwear while on the job in case they split their pants.
- Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.
- Cricket used to be the most popular sport in the US during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
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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 in May 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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