Godey's Lady's Book

GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK
Philadelphia, February 1850

PERFUMES.

FROM the time that myrrh and frankincense were indispensable to many Jewish ceremonies, we have accounts in history of the use of perfumes among all nations. The luxurious Cleopatra had her scented bath; the elegant Athenian finished his toilet with the delicate ointment compounded of roses and violets; and, down to our own times, the love of perfumes is found among all classes and in every civilized country.

We do not object to their use – far from it – but their abuse is so frequent and so disagreeable to delicate olfactories, that we have thought to offer a few rules for the guidance of oar lady friends.

The consideration of the subject was forced upon us, not long ago, at the reading of Hamlet by Mrs. Butler, at the Sansom Street Hall. All who were there, will remember that the house was crowded, and the air necessarily confined. Close to us sat a badly attired lady, whose gaping dress, shining oily hair, and coarse gloves did not speak much for her refinement. Involuntarily, "a shudder took us," and we retreated as far as possible from her neighborhood. But what was the play, if we could not see the animated face of the reader? And to do this, it was necessary to lean very near the lady in question. Presently, the heat of the room drew forth her handkerchief. It was saturated with bouquet de Caroline; and, with every fresh movement, the overpowering odor was wafted towards us. " Whereat," as Trincolo says, in the Tempest, "our nose was in great indignation." But there was no help for it; and, as our neighbor was not the only lady who had availed herself freely of Roussel's extracts, the air was heavy and surely unwholesome before the end of the second act.

As a first principle, all decided or strong odors are in bad taste. What is a perfume, but the counterfeit breath of sweet flowers; and nature rarely overdoes her work, in making that addition to their loveliness so obvious as to be disagreeable. To be used successfully, then, all extracts should be like the faint breath of flowers, floating lightly on the air, but never burdening it. Resides, many people dislike peculiar perfumes so much – such as otto of rose, musk, or patcheuli, once so fashionable – as to be absolutely faint by coming in contact with them. Charity – with this in view – would dictate a sparing use of what is not essential to our own comfort.

We once knew an old lady who adopted a very ingenious method to rid herself of annoyance in the shape of musk, which her granddaughter was very fond of using to an unlimited extent. The young lady had an equal dislike to ether – so called – which had been recommended to "grandmamma" for some nervous affection. Knowing this, her ammunition was provided; and the next Sunday, when Mademoiselle shook out her perfumed handkerchief at "meeting," what was her horror at finding it overpowered by a flask of ether, which was produced from the old lady's pocket. Frowns and remonstrances were of no avail. "So long as thee will use musk, Emma, I shall resort to an antidote; for it brings on my nervous attacks meet unaccountably." And finally a truce was established, and Miss Emma's musk was locked up with grandmamma's ether.

We have known a whole box of ladies at the theatre grow ill, by the plentiful use of otto of rose made by one of their party; and, to this day, patcheuli has a similar effect upon ourselves.

Perfumes, in old times, were divided into two kinds. The first, or thicker sort, were compounded into a kind of ointment – often almost invaluable in price – and put up in costly boxes and vases (sometimes of alabaster), as the well-known instance described in the Gospels. The use of liquid perfumes was considered as effeminate, or voluptuous; but grave senators and sober matrons indulged in the first without reproach. Grecian ladies considered them indispensable appendages to the toilet; and those who prepared and sold them were among the most petted and successful artisans in ancient Rome.

Perfumes are extracted principally from flowers, seeds, roots, and woods, with the rinds of odoriferous fruits. Besides these, we have musk, which is the product of a little creature (moschus moschiferus) native to Thibet and Tonquin. It is originally a viscid fluid, but dries to a hard brown substance that is easily pulverized. It is very costly; but a small quantity is sufficient to scent a large stock of perfumery.

Civet is similar to musk, but is used only to stimulate or strengthen other perfumes.

The present taste of the day seems to have fixed on extracts of flowers in the form of eau spiritsuse; and Lubric, of Paris, and Roussel, in our own city, have excelled in these delicate preparations. The extrait or esprit of roses, violets, mignionette, jessamine, orange-flowers, acacia, tuberose, and lavender are, beyond question, the most exquisite of all perfumes; and an agreeable variety is produced by a judicious mixture of several here enumerated. Eau de cologne – so called from the name of the city most celebrated in its manufacture – is composed of several fine extraits diluted with pure alcohol.

Now, either of these, when moderately used, are agreeable to most people; but a handkerchief saturated with coarse eau de cologne, or a strong essential oil, marks at once a person as possessing very little good taste. We have always found the following the best method: Procure a quantity of poudres aux fleurs– which is common hair powder scented with flowers, and is to be procured at any perfumer's – fold it in an envelop so that it cannot escape, and lay it in the drawer appropriated to laces, gloves, handkerchiefs, etc., which will acquire from it that faint, scarce perceptible odor which is so pleasing. Scented French glove-boxes are sufficient in themselves, sometimes, for all necessary purposes; and, if a liquid be used, let

it be as sparingly as possible. In a future paper, we may have something to say of cosmetics generally; but at present we only seek to impress upon our lady. friends the truth of the old proverb as applied to perfumes –" Too much of a good thing is good for nothing."

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