Tag Archives: Perfume

Lady Violet’s perfume on Downton Abbey

Lady Violed on Downton Abbey with vintage perfume bottle,
Lady Violed on Downton Abbey with vintage perfume bottle,

A vintage Grossmith Phul-Nana perfume bottle with original box is offered on eBay this week :http://www.ebay.com/itm/PHUL-NANA-GROSSMITH-ART-NOUVEAU-ANTIQUE-FLOWERS-GLASS-PERFUME-SCENT-BOTTLE-BOX-/232105110727. The Dowager Lady Violet was seen holding one like it in a scene from Downton Abbey. I the scene Lady Edith is visiting Lady Violet following the episode where she has been jilted at the altar. She delivers the perfume to Lady Violet from her shopping trip and Lady Violet remarks on the price:"A guinea? for a bottle of scent? Did he have a mask and a gun?"

phulnana

Lady Mary: Crystal Perfume Bottle

Crystal glass perfume bottle on Lady Mary Crawley's dressing table
Crystal glass perfume bottle on Lady Mary Crawley's dressing table

I notice a pretty crystal glass perfume decanter bottle on Lady Mary Crawley's dressing table.  I see a range of similar crystal glass perfume bottles on eBay Click HERE for a selection.

So what fragrances might someone like Lady Mary have worn? In her decanter she may have kept natural floral essential oil based toilet waters. 1912, the year in which the Downton Abbey sereies begins, was the year the fragrance L'Heure Bleue or 'the blue hour' was created by Jacques Guerlain. From the House of Caron in Paris came “N’Aimez que Moi” in 1916, and “Tabac Blond” in 1919, 1920 perfumes include Chanel No. 5 which was launched in 1921 and would have been familiar to somebody like Lady Mary Crawley.  Guerlain’s Shalimar, was launched in 1925 and became one of the most popular fragrances of all time. Guerlain’s Shalimar was named after the Gardens of Shalimar in Lahore, Pakistan, which were built for Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built.