18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Sunday, June 22, 1913: Went to Sunday School this afternoon.
QUELQUES FLEURS
New Perfume HOUBIGANT
Abroad, the odor of the hour
Sample Bottle will delight you–25¢
Park & Tilford, 225 Fifth Ave., New York
“CAPTIVATED PARIS IN A DAY”
Source: Ladies Home Journal (October, 1913)
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
When I was young I used to put a little perfume on before going to church. (You never knew where you might see a cute guy who would appreciate perfume.)
Did Grandma also spritz on a little perfume before going to Sunday School?
This is what Wikipedia says about Quelques Fleurs perfume:
In 1912, the Houbigant presented Quelques Fleurs, the first true multi-floral bouquet ever created. Up to that time, floral fragrances had been mostly single flowers or were blended with herbs and other essences. The Genealogy of Perfumes cites Quelques Fleurs as a landmark innovation that established a totally new fragrance classification and influenced other compositions for years afterwards including many of today’s important fragrances.
What a luxurious treat it must be to dab some perfume during those days especially for a young teenager 🙂
I agree. 🙂
And I love the typography of those old ads – quaint, quirky and cute 🙂
Old ads are so much fun. It’s interesting advertisements and advertising have changed across the years.
Oh, I just bet she did!!!
So do I. 🙂
I wonder what she would think of all the scented options today!
Many popular scents seem like they have changed over time. For example, I remember when I was young how many older women wore perfumes that had a lavender scent, but I think that lavender is seldom worn today.
My grandma always had a bottle of toilet water on her dresser! I thought it was gross as I took it literal!!! 😉
I remember having exactly the same reaction to toilet water when I was a kid. 🙂
Because I grew up in Quebec I know that quelques fleurs translates to some flowers!
Thanks for the translation. I knew that fleurs meant flowers, but had no idea what quelques meant.
When you translate into another language the simplest term can sound exotic!
My favourite perfume for 30 years was Chanel 22, then all of a sudden they stopped making it. It’s available now only at the Rodeo Chanel location in Hollywood for like 380.00 (it used to be $50). I wonder which part of the recipe is soooooo rare now that it can’t be made anymore. It’s a light floral scent too.
How annoying! I hate it when companies create an artificial scarcity by limiting the market and then charging more.
Maybe she got some perfume as a graduation gift. 🙂
Maybe. . . I like that suggestion. Perfume would be a perfect graduation gift.
I wonder if they pinned a fresh flower to their dress or was that considered too flirty back then.
I don’t know–but it would have been fun if they did. 🙂
Quelques Fleur by Houbigant is still available today! It’s definitely expensive!!
I’m taking it that you can’t get a sample bottle for 25¢ anymore. 🙂
First Google that popped up was Neiman’s at $180 — didn’t read any further! 🙂
Whew, that’s expensive! 🙂
http://m.nordstrom.com/c/quelques-fleurs
The most expensive option here is $600–$600 for some scented water! That’s crazy!
Whew, for that kind of money, it had better smell really good. I wonder if they have any sample bottles at the store where you can spritz a little on and see what it smells like.
I hope! I wouldn’t pay that kind of money for something I’ve never tried (not that I have $600 lying around, haha).
Hi Sheryl. My first gift from my dad was a collection of French perfume. I still have the whole collection, hardly used. Jane
What a thoughtful gift from your father! I also have several bottles of perfume that I received years ago that I’ve hardly used. I’ve kept them because of the memories the gifts invoke rather than the contents of the bottles. 🙂
I love your posts! You’re the girl at the party I would spend time talking to. Even when Helena simply goes to Sunday School, you present us with a lovely gift!
Thanks for the kind words. I have a lot of fun doing this blog, and it’s wonderful to hear when someone enjoys what I do with it.