Maison Violet/Veolay Perfumes

Maison Violet (Pronounced VEOLAY) Perfume Company of Paris France and New York City. The name was often marketed phonetically as "VEOLAY" when products were sold in English speaking countries.

Maison Violet was established around 1810 in Paris and the business was originally known as "A la Reine des Abeilles".  The shop was located at 317 rue St. Denis.

Their first perfume was "Josephine", and named after the Empress. I believe that the company made a strategic decision to incorporate the Napoleonic "bee" symbol into their name and trademark (the queen bee - Josephine, herself).  This may have been a way to curry favor from the court and wealthier citizens as well as to help the new business build up a reputation by aligning its name with that of a royal. It must have worked, because not longer after, the company gained approval by the Empress herself and was declared an official supplier to her Majesty.

Special products were created for Empress Josephine, such as her namesake perfume, as well as a luxurious violet scented soap, the Savon au Baume de Violette, created as an homage to her. By 1828, the company was using the name Parfumerie Violet as their business name, but still retained the brand "A la Reine des Abeilles", now regulated to a subtitle. My suspicion is that the company decided to name themselves after the empress's favorite flower as a veiled thank you. The company began to be referred to as "Maison Violet" coupled with "Parfumeur-Chimiste" as well in the advertisements.

Violet's reputation grew and by the 1850s, items were made for other important people too, such as Empress Eugenie, for whom, Violet remained a royal supplier. For her, Violet created a facial lotion called Eau de Beaute de Sa Majesté L'Impératrice, and a rose tinted rice powder Fleur de Riz Rosee, this refreshing powder protected the facial skin from all dermal ailments.

For the Russian Empress, Violet created the perfume Brises de Mai. The perfume Gouttes de Violette was heralded in one advertisement as the perfume of her Majesty Queen Victoria of England. It was said to possess the natural scent of the fresh blossoms. For the Prince of Wales, the company created the perfume Champaka, based on the exotic flowers of India. By the end of the 1850s, Violet was also officially supplying the royal court of the Queen Isabella II of Spain with their sumptuous perfumes and cosmetics.


Parfumerie Violet had a laboratory located at La Plaine St. Denis in France, where they manufactured their perfumes and cosmetics. In addition to perfumes, Violet also manufactured compacts, nail enamel, face powders, talcum powders, bath salts, lipsticks, rouge, soaps, creams, bath cubes, and other toilet preparations.

 

Some popular mid 19th century preparations were Savon Royal de Thridace soap made of honey and lettuce juice. Honey is a natural moisturizer used for skin, and because it retains moisture, it keeps skin smooth and supple while the lettuce works wonders to soothe and soften irritated skin. Baume de Violette, a fluidized ointment blended with virgin oils, was created for moisturizing dry skin and hair,  Creme Sevigne was a lustrous hair groom fixative to be used with hair bandeaux, similar to bandoline, Creme Pompadour, a face cream which prevented and destroyed wrinkles, Creme Froide Mousseuse, a frothy cold cream, a beauty secret, to refresh the dermal tissue. Rouge de Chine was powdered carmine that was spread onto cardboard to give color to the lips and cheeks, Noir Indien was a powdered black kohl for darkening the eyelashes and brows, Blanc de Lys for whitening the face, Poudre Orientale  gave the nails the shine of pink mother-of-pearl, and others.

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To maintain an air of aristocracy, Violet also sold ivory brushes and perfume bottles in ebony and tortoiseshell caskets with figures and crowns in gold and silver. The bottles were of cut crystal and often featured engraved coat of arms piqued out in colored enamel. The shop also boasted a museum of Louis XIII mirrors, Louis XVI châtelaine flasks of and a whole collection of combs and pins in blond tortoiseshell, amongst a thousand artistic trinkets that lined the tables and windows.

 

Successful products helped the company expand and by the 1860s, Parfumerie Violet had offices in New York City, St. Petersburg, Russia and in London (in 1846). The London office, located at 11 Great Castle Street, Regent Street was managed by L. Claye, successors, in the 1850s.

Parfumerie Violet maintained a luxury image throughout much of it's existence and won many prize medals at exhibitions: 1849, 1851, 1855, 1862,  1875 (Sydney, bronze medal), as well as the Grand Prix at the Exposition Universelle in both 1867 and 1900, where the Violet products as a whole were awarded the prize.

In newspapers starting around 1900, I noticed that the company was often advertised as "Violet (pronounced Ve-o-lay)" emphasizing the French pronunciation of the name.

Also the products were often compared to high quality brands, such as the case of one perfume, Bouquet Farnese which was said to be "new and not unlike Houbigant's extracts." Houbigant had already established itself a fine reputation in the United States, and to be promoted as being in the same class as Houbigant, Americans could be confident that their purchase of Violet's products would be just as satisfactory.

 In 1897, the company was styled as "La Parfumerie Violet" and their address was located at 29, boulevard des Italiens, Paris. Around 1902, letterheads on invoices showed that the company was being managed by successors AM Rehns & Cie.

Because the perfumery trade could be cutthroat and competition fierce, in 1923 a trademark was taken out on the name "Veolay" so that no one else could use it but Maison Violet.

Another Grand Prix was awarded to Violet for excellency, this time at the 1925 Exposition in Paris.

L'Amour de l'art, 1950:

"Apogee by Violet: a harmonious suite of linked and deep notes, its insinuating and languorous theme makes dull complexions vibrate.

Imagination by Violet: Perfume with powerful chords but which marvelously whips up the languor of blonde hair."

Listen to me by Violet: the smell of dead leaves comes back to life as in Prévert's song, but refreshed by a beneficial shower. The wood drips in soft and clear notes, all of nature finally spreads out like an answer to nostalgia."

Violet/Veolay went out of business around 1955.

Bottles:

Veolay presented some of it's perfumes in exquisite crystal bottles produced by well known glassworks such as Lalique, Saint-Louis and Baccarat.

However, in the mid 1920s, most of Veolay's perfumes were housed in the simple, inexpensive "omnibus", standard bottles meant to hold various perfumes. These bottles were of a tall, square shape with rounded corners, and featured button shaped colored glass stoppers. The perfume's name was molded into the glass in a long rectangular cartouche in the center of the bottle. The omnibus bottles held 1.75 oz of parfum and can be found in the following scents: Chypre, Niobe, Ambre Royal, Jasmin, Brise de Violettes, Fleur d'Alize, Princia, Valreine, Sylvaine, and others.

Other bottles used in the mid 1920s were the Flacon pour Sac which was a small glass bottle to be carried in the purse, it was made of clear glass and molded with stylized floral designs in a circle on the sides, enhanced with applied patina. You could find the perfumes: Niobe, Chypre, Ambre Royal, and others in these charming bottles.

In 1925, Veolay also had another small purse bottle, made up of flat glass with a metal overcap, that they called the "Mannequin". The Mannequin bottle held the following scents: Ambre Royal, Chypre, Les Sylvies, Sylvaine, Fleur d'Alize and others. The Mannequin bottles retailed for just 65 cents in 1926 and the Flacon pour Sac sold for $1.50.

The bottle for Josephine was made by Saint-Louis, while Rene Lalique supplied some of the luxury bottles for Niobe.

Brise de Violette was first presented in a bottle by Lucien Gaillard, then in Baccarat crystal (model #1) in 1904. Bouquet Farnèse was first presented in a Lucien Gaillard bottle in 1924, and then in a flacon by Baccarat (model # 398). Lucien Gaillard also lent his creativity to the bottles for Si J'étais Reine, L'Heure Jolie, Tanagra, Écoutez-Moi, Les Sylvies and Pourpre d'Automne. The bottle for Les Sylvies was manufactured by Verreries Brosse. The Pourpre d'Automne and Les Sylvies perfumes retailed for $5.95 each in 1926 when housed in their sumptuous Gaillard bottles.

 Other perfumes were sold in Baccarat bottles: Fleurs de Lys, Lobelia, Pompadour, Cyclamen (model #1), Lilas, Royale Tubéreuse (model #43),  Vôtani, Eternelle Chanson, Chypre ( model #650), Lily (model #440), Valreine, and Brise de Violettes.

The perfumes of Violet / Veolay:

• 1810 Josephine 
• 1857 Jacinthe Blanche
• 1859 Brise de Mai
• 1859 Fleurs d'Italie
• 1859 Gouttes des Violette
• 1859 Les Gouttes des Violettes d'Italie
• 1864 Benjoin
• 1864 Magnolia
• 1864 Mille Fleurs
• 1864 Rose
• 1864 Violette
• 1872 Eau de Toilette de la Reine des Abeilles
• 1872 Essence Bouquet
• 1872 Farnese
• 1872 Fleurs de France
• 1872 Fleurs de Lys
• 1872 Foin Coupe (New Mown Hay)
• 1872 Jockey Club
• 1872 L'Eau de Cologne Impériale de la Reine des Abeilles
• 1872 L'Eau de Cologne Impériale des Souverains
• 1872 Lys de Cachemire
• 1872 Rose Mousseuse
• 1872 Violettes de Nice
• 1880 Extra Violettes
• 1882 Champaka 
• 1882 Eau de Fleurs de Lys
• 1882 Gardenia
• 1882 Heliotrope
• 1882 Opoponax
• 1888 Chypre
• 1883 Kadoura/Kadsura
• 1883 Pompadour 
• 1883 Violettes de San Remo
• 1888 Muguet des Bois
• 1888 Peau d'Espagne
• 1889 Brise de Violettes 
• 1890 Lilas Blanc
• 1892 Marechal
• 1892 Mealys (a line)
• 1897 White Rose
• 1897 Tatiana
• 1897 Ambré Royal (later re-branded as 'Sketch')
• 1900 Acacia
• 1900 Aubépine
• 1900 Chèvrefeuille
• 1900 Cytise
• 1900 Daphne
• 1900 Essence Violette
• 1900 Extra Chypre
• 1900 Fleurs
• 1900 Freesia
• 1900 Heliotrope Blanc
• 1900 Katalpa
• 1900 Kiss Me Quick
• 1900 Lavender
• 1900 Lobelia  
• 1900 Meiza de Perse
• 1900 Miel d’Angleterre
• 1900 Musc Tonkin
• 1900 Quintessence de Violette
• 1900 Rose Thé
• 1900 Rosita
• 1900 Valdora
• 1900 Veldor
• 1900 Verveine
• 1900 Victoria
• 1900 Violette de Parme
• 1900 West End
• 1900 Bouquet Pompadour
• 1901 Cyclamen  
• 1902 Carnation
• 1902 Jacinthe
• 1902 Verveine Ambree
• 1903 Lily of the Valley
• 1903 Tanagra  
• 1903 Bouquet Farnese
• 1904 Azalia
• 1905 Cyclamen Fleuri
• 1905 Princia
• 1906 Extra Nugget
• 1910 Rose Concentree
• 1911 Valreine
• 1913 Kassya
• 1913 Si J'étais Reine
• 1914 Altys
• 1915 Niobe 
• 1918 Prelia
• 1918 Rameau Fleuri
• 1919 Lilas  
• 1920 Royale Tubéreuse 
• 1920 Ylang
• 1920 Eau de Cologne Violet
• 1921 Curieux Parfum
• 1921 Charmose
• 1922 Amorosa
• 1922 Brise Ambrée
• 1922 Contes des Fees
• 1922 Fastuosa
• 1922 Fleur de Giroflée
• 1922 Fougère d'Ecosse
• 1922 Gerbes Folles
• 1922 Kiloe
• 1922 L’Heure Jolie 
• 1922 Musc
• 1922 Nacreine
• 1922 Oryane
• 1922 Parfum Ancien
• 1922 Parfum de Violet
• 1922 Pourpre d’Automne
• 1922 Rosamine
• 1922 Sylviane
• 1922 Viborg
• 1923 Violet Extra
• 1923 Violette Vegetale
• 1924 Vôtani
• 1925 Eternelle Chanson
• 1925 Mannequin (a purse bottle)
• 1925 Flacon Pour Sac (a purse bottle)
• 1925 Flaconnettes
• 1925 Fleur de Jasmin
• 1925 Sketch
• 1926 Ambre Dore
• 1926 Conte Joli
• 1926 Nuee Bleue
• 1926 Bonheur Sans Fin
• 1926 Écoutez-Moi 
• 1926 My Hobby
• 1926 Pour Rever
• 1926 Satan
• 1926 Tamaris
• 1926 Yaneth
• 1928 Bon Voyage
• 1928 Pois de Senteur
• 1930 Gardenia  (sub-titled 'Imperial')
• 1930 Heliotrope
• 1930 Titayna
• 1930 Ambre
• 1930 Abîme
• 1930 Abricot
• 1932 Apogée
• 1933 Chypre 
• 1933 Flamme Ardent
• 1933 Lily  
• 1933 Quatre Étoiles
• 1933 Rose Violet (alternative name for 'Rose Violette')
• 1933 Violet (also launched as 'Violette')
• 1933 Violette
• 1939 Prologue
• 1939 Cuir de Russie
• 1945 Intelligence
• 1948 Compliments
• 1948 Imagination
• 1948 L'Or Joli
• 1953 Refrain
• Primrose

Parfum Amorosa

Parfum Oryane

Bonney, Therese. 1925. Therese Bonney photographs, 1925-1937.France, ca. 1926. Crystal bottles in leather boxes. François Roques, designer. Abime perfume. Colorized by me.

Country Life, Volume 7, 1905:

Good news!! Maison Violet has been resurrected! In 2017 three young men from Paris revived the brand. To date four fragrances have been presented in collaboration with perfumer Nathalie Lorson.

Tanagra: a unisex fragrance for men and women. Described by Maison Violet "For it is the first perfume that is drastically detached from the original smell. Its connection with the historical fragrance is found in the roots of its name and what it conveyed.  Tanagra is a perfume woven directly onto the skin. A powdery silk fabric marrying the most subtle lines, a musky cashmere caressing the sweetest curves. The body then becomes a haunting dance where every movement exalts this invisible envelope. Its wake, delicately floral, is sublimated by the beauty of the rose, the purity of the freesia and the grace of the iris." Maison Violet wants to be an actor concerned about her time and her stakes. That's why Tanagra is committed and defends women by donating 20% ​​of the profits to the association Solidarité Femmes."

• Top notes: mandarin, pear, freesia
• Middle notes: peony, iris, jasmine, rose
• Base notes: cedar, vetiver, musk

Un Air d'Apogee: a unisex fragrance for men and women. Described by Maison Violet as "Formerly known as Apogee, the perfume originally appeared in 1932 under the direction of Marc-Aaron Rehns. Apogee was one of the last signatures of the House before its first disappearance. Un Air d'Apogee is a discovery, an exception, a phenomenon. Its leather facets and bright mimosa are as bold as its spicy accord. Absolute tobacco adds to the chord this indefinable captivating dimension. The woody notes as for them cradle this characteristic and sweet ballet. A novelty perfume, a leather rehab still never felt....The perfumer Nathalie Lorson presented with a surprising raw material from a Headspace of the leather seats of a Jaguar car."

• Top notes: anise, sage, hay
• Middle notes: honey, mimosa, cedar, ylang ylang, jasmine
• Base notes: Balkan tobacco, leather cistus labdanum, Ambrox

Sketch: a unisex fragrance for men and women. Described by Maison Violet as"Originally labeled Royal Amber in 1900, Sketch is an inspiration of the perfume of 1924. Sketch is a mystery. Woody Oriental, it plays with the codes and reinterprets its olfactory family. Its chypre-patchouli blend mixed with its evanescent nutmeg and its capious Tuberose are the definition of modernity and heritage. This already cult antinomy is caressed by the zesty bergamot and spicy pepper. All wrapped up in a musky cocoon. A historically contemporary fragrance."

• Top notes: bergamot, nutmeg, pink pepper
• Middle notes: carnation, tuberose, ylang ylang, rose
• Base notes: patchouli, Madagascar vanilla, tonka bean, musk

 Pourpre d'Automne: a unisex fragrance for men and women. Described by Maison Violet as "Inspired by the 1923 version, Pourpre d'Automne was an iconic fragrance of the House. Pourpre d'Automneis a caress. With a simple and opulent reading, it releases from the first fragrances, an organic rose and a purified violet. Its autumn chypry atmosphere with powdery notes of fruity chalk exacerbates its juicy peach. A perfume with captivating charm."

• Top notes: violet leaf, peach, plum
• Middle notes: carnation, iris, violet, rose
• Base notes: tree moss, benzoin, musk, vanilla, tonka bean

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