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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Around The World With Perfumes - Part 1
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The production and trade of perfume was a tremendous source of wealth and power as far back as the 13th century BC. Merchants from the ancient Arabian Peninsula, who were prepared to weather the challenges and obstacles along a difficult trade route to the West, emerged as some of the wealthiest businessmen of their times. They found markets among the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Assyria. These markets were filled with buyers who were willing to pay high prices for body oils used for seduction and erotica, and aromatic incense used for ritual ceremonies.
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This gave rise to the Incense Route (or Perfume Route) of ancient times – which later included the Silk Route from China and the far east, increasing the products and components for perfumes and spices. For thousands of years, the Silk and Spice Routes stretched across the vast continent of Asia--the Silk Route by land the Spice Route by sea.
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Most of the spices and perfume plants were brought from the East. Cinnamon came from Ceylon and China, aloes from India and Spikenard (one of the more expensive perfumes plants) from Nepal and the Himalayas.
At the time, perfume trade concentrated mainly on Frankincense and Myrrh and both plants were grown in southern Arabia and northern Somalia.
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Mural commissioned depicting time and regions of ancient perfume history,
on display in the Vault at Perfume Passage Foundation
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Frankincense is a small bush that generates a transparent yellowish resin from which the aromatic essence is extracted. The resin is produced by making cuts along the stem and peeling off a small amount of the stem skin. After three months, the hard yellowish resin ball can be picked and prepared for shipping. Frankincense resin was packed in baskets and was handled very carefully in order to keep the resin balls and branches intact.
Frankincense has a woody, spicy smell and can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, steeped into a tea or taken as a supplement.
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Myrrh, a tallish tree, which usually produces a reddish brown resin that is generally gathered from the trees in the summer. Because of high demands, a second extract was made in early spring, by making small cuts along the stem. Myrrh resin was kept in leather bags in order to keep its oily consistency for transportation. Myrrh was used for perfumes, incense and medicinal balms.
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Aryballos with Original Seal, c 1st - 2nd Century CE, Eastern Roman Empire, Liquid Myrrh, Glass
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Young Boy's Head Balsamarium, c 1st Century CE, Bronze, Vessel for Balsam (Oil or Resin)
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Cosmetic Vessel, c 1500 BC, Canan (Ancient
near East), Bronze
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Bottle of Myrrh with Original Seal, c 1st - 3rd Century CE, Roman, Glass and Plaster
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In modern times, examples of the Ancient history has influenced the design of perfume bottles among many things. This may also be attributed to the World Expositions of the 19th and 20th Centuries, bringing far away lands closer for all to enjoy.
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Cut glass pedestal scent bottle with silver stopper in the shape of a pharaoh's head
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Ramses Perfume Bottle, pressed molded and frosted crystal by Baccarat, c 1919
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Ramses II Saint-Louis Crystal Bottle shaped as an Obelisk. Clear and frosted, low relief hieroglyphics with grey patina
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Celluloid case containing glass perfume vial with dauber, c 1920s
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1962 Revlon "Sphinx Pink" lipstick. Released ahead of the release of the movie Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor
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EARLY USES OF PERFUME
One of the oldest uses of perfume comes from the burning of incense and aromatic herbs for religious services through frankincense and myrrh gathered from trees. It did not take long, though, for people to discover perfume’s romantic potential and it was used both for seduction and as preparation for love-making.
With the arrival of eau de cologne, 18th-century France began using perfumes in their bath water, poultices and enemas, and consumed it in wine or drizzled it on a sugar lump.
Vantine's Deco Egyptian (two women) Incense Burner
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Following the Muslim conquest of the area in the late 7th century, and the decline in the demand of perfume in the new Christian world, the perfume trade routes died out and the cities along these routes were gradually deserted. From the 4th century onward, when Christianity became the official religion, the practice of cremation was avoided and there was a return to ordinary burials which led to a significant decrease in the demand for incense. The consumption of cosmetics for body care also diminished drastically in the Christian world, which frowned on luxuriousness and indulgence in bodily pleasures.
1950s Kigu Globe powder compact
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Perfumes could also be found in India during this time as well.
Originally these perfume vessels were made of terra cotta and other potteries. It wasn’t until the Egyptians invented glass vessels approximately around 1000 BC that the first perfume bottle was uncovered.
Perfumes were reserved for religious ceremonies at first. Later from 1500 – 1000 BC, women throughout Egypt were using perfumes and cosmetic oils as luxury items which later became part of life.
Natural oils were being traded and extracted from spices and fauna and traded throughout the new world. With these new materials, perfume making became an industry onto itself. Perfumes were reserved for the wealthy and was a symbol of luxury.
Perfume dispenser and display of Aqua
de Kananga del Japon, Rigaud y Co, Paris
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Modern day perfume collectibles with world travel motifs include these Estee Lauder Solid Perfumes.
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Great Wall of China, Estee Lauder 2007
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Chinese Junk Ship, Estee Lauder 2003
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Taj Mahal, Estee Lauder 2003
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Sphinx, Estee Lauder 2003
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ORIGINS & HISTORY
Egyptians were responsible for the origin of perfume. They utilized scents in everything from religious ceremonies to burial preparations and even daily wear. The elites of Egyptian society would adorn themselves with aromas.
The Persians took over the use of perfume as a sign of political status, but it wasn't until the Greeks and Romans became acquainted with perfumes that they began to be viewed as a form of art and was produced en masse and in consistent quality.
Archaeologists recently uncovered a perfume factory from 2,000 BC, located in Cyprus, which seemed to have specialized in the production of scents like coriander, laurel, myrtle, lavender, and rosemary.
We know how perfume is marketed today, but how did the Egyptians tackle the problem?
Before distillation was mastered, only fragrant resins from bark were used, generally burned to create fragrant smoke or used in the form of perfumed oils and salves.
Perfumed textiles and costumes are a standard part of every culture, yet few objects have been identified, and virtually none have been preserved. Perfuming was traditionally used to mask bad body odors, and from production processes like tanning and dyeing, for ceremonial reasons, or simply to create a favorable impression of the wearer. Perfuming methods included using incense, laundry aids, sweet bags, fragrant oils and fuming pans. Unintentional perfuming also occurred, of which we sometimes get a whiff in our Perfume Passage collections.
The Egyptians used to create ointments and balms with essential oils mixed in to provide scent. Today's perfume, however, utilizes a much more complex method of preparation. The desired scents, in specific quantities, are combined with either ethanol or ethanol and water. The concentration of the scent depends on what kind of perfume is being made. True perfume, for example, may have a composition of up to 40% of scent material. Eau de Parfum will only have up to 20% of scent material in its mixture, resulting in a lighter, more subtle aroma. It all depends on the desired perfume profile and the scents that the perfumer wants to include.
The 16th century saw the popularity of perfume explode in France, especially among the upper classes and nobles. With help from “the perfume court,” the court of Louis XV, everything got perfumed--furniture, gloves, and clothing.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s perfume houses throughout Europe started to develop their brand which would appeal to women and men of all socioeconomic levels. It is during this time that eau de cologne was also developed making these fragrant luxury items more affordable and helped the perfume industry to expand.
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Discovering Europe and The New World
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In our next issue, we will travel from Ancient times to the New World, focusing on some of the perfume companies of Europe, the Americas and beyond. We will continue to highlight artifacts from the Perfume Passage Foundation collection.
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- In Europe, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest apothecary and perfume shops in the world. Founded by Dominican Friars shortly after 1221, the year of their arrival in Florence, the pharmacy used medicinal herbs grown in the monastic gardens to make medications, balms and pomades for the monks' infirmary. In 1533, Santa Maria Novella’s fame exploded when they were commissioned to create a signature fragrance for the young, fourteen-year old Catherine de Medici upon her marriage to Henry II of France. It continues to operate till this day.
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In America, a perfume and soap company, started by Dr. William Hunter in 1752, began as an apothecary shop in Newport, Rhode Island. Hunter served his distinguished clientele living in the nearby "cottages," supplying their "medicinals" as well as their perfumes and personal care products, according to the company's website. It is believed that George Washington gave a bottle of "Cologne Number 6" to the Marquis de Lafayette, and Lewis and Clarke took its products on their cross-country trek. In 1833 a Manhattan branch of the shop opened and the firm's name was registered as Caswell & Hazard Company. The firm later changed its name to Caswell-Massey in 1876, when then-owner John Rose Caswell formed a partnership with New York businessman William Massey.
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The Evolution of Gadget Canes
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Besides perfume bottles, vanity items and ephemera, we have a collection of gadget canes on display at Perfume Passage. These marvels hid many items, primarily weapons such as daggers, swords and even guns. Our collection also includes canes that concealed compacts, perfume bottles and other vanity items.
We have created a short video for you to enjoy. Click on the link below.
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We Look Forward to Seeing You Once We Safely Open Again
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Located in the Chicagoland area, the Perfume Passage Foundation is 38 miles northwest of downtown Chicago and 25 miles from O'Hare International Airport.
Types of tours include:
- Private docent-guided tours
- Group tours
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Symphony of Scents and Sounds
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