Friday, January 17, 2014

Harriet Hubbard Ayer

Established by Harriet Hubbard at East 34th Street, New York in 1886; born in 1850 in Chicago; renowned for her HHA label which she created in 1886, launched her first perfume in 1922; also produced toiletries and cosmetics. She also sold perfumes under the pseudonym of Lillian Dodge in 1922.



The early HHA perfumes were housed in exquisite flacons mainly designed by Julien Viard. These bottles featured elegant floral designs in frosted and clear glass. These types of bottles seem to have been discontinued in favor of less expensive models around 1938. You can see from the 1938 ad below that the luxurious style was being phased out. The second and third 1938 ads show the current perfume bottles that were being retailed that year.

La Femme Chic, 1945:
"And if you are in a changeable mood, try one by one each of the stanzas of the charming perfumed poem by Harriet Hubbard Ayer: Indecise, Quand Meme, Je Chante, Et Pourtant . You will undoubtedly remain undecided to conclude which is the best."


L'Amour de l'art, 1950:
"Je Chante by Harriet Hubbard Ayer: Evening and morning this melody, with a heady but discreet theme, harmonizes with feminine elegance. Around the tuberose mingle other delicate essences which make this subtle perfume a very happy accompaniment for furs, brocade or tulle.

Malgré Tout by Harriet Hubbard Ayer: The languor of jasmine seems to explode in the joy of a bouquet. Light fragrance, composed with all the flowers of the garden, which adapts to the sporting or social hours of spring. Its delicate scents s slowly linger and perfume all around."

 

The perfumes of Harriet Hubbard Ayer:

  • 1913 Cœur de Violette
  • 1914 Ayeristocrat
  • 1914 Luxuria
  • 1915 Blossoms
  • 1916 Best Maid
  • 1918 Incognito
  • 1918 Mother Goose
  • 1919 Service
  • 1919 Wee Tot
  • 1920 Dear Heart
  • 1920 Mes Fleurs
  • 1920 Prince Charming
  • 1922 Ambré Nouveau
  • 1922 Après Tout (an aldehydic light citrus fresh floral)
  • 1922 Brin D'Amour
  • 1922 Darling
  • 1922 Douces Fleurs
  • 1922 Doux Baiser
  • 1922 Ivresse D'Amour
  • 1922 Je Chant (heady, discreet, tuberose)
  • 1922 Lilas
  • 1922 L'Ondee
  • 1922 Mes Fleurs
  • 1922 Muguet
  • 1922 Naïvete
  • 1922 Panier Fleuri
  • 1922 Papillon
  • 1922 Pink Clover
  • 1922 Pour Toi
  • 1922 Violette
  • 1923 Jasmin
  • 1923 Narcisse
  • 1923 Princess Charming
  • 1923 Rose
  • 1926 Red Rose
  • 1930 Heliotrope
  • 1931 Chypre
  • 1931 Douce Fleurs
  • 1932 Iris Blanc
  • 1934 Cœur d’Or
  • 1934 Lilac
  • 1934 Violet
  • 1934 Rosamond (slightly spicy, haunting fragrance)
  • 1934 Tendre Poeme
  • 1934 Sweet Miss Mary
  • 1934 Violette Petales
  • 1934 Red Rose
  • 1935 Harriet Hubbard Ayer
  • 1936 Golden Lotus
  • 1937 Yu (dry, spicy violet scent)
  • 1937 Pink Clover
  • 1937 Regal Lily
  • 1937 Heliotrope
  • 1937 Honeysuckle
  • 1938 Alexandre
  • 1938 White Lilac
  • 1939 Malgre Tout (floral, worn with sportswear)
  • 1940 Tulip Time (white hyacinth, blue violet, primrose, gillyflower, arbutus, crocus, trillium and amaryllis.)
  • 1945 Golden Hour
  • 1945 Quand Meme
  • 1945 En Pourtant
  • 1945 Indecise
  • 1945 Je Chante
  • 1946 Three for One (heady)
  • 1947 Winter Carnival
  • 1948 Christmas Card
  • 1948 Golden Chance (a fruity blend floral oriental perfume)
  • 1948 Golden Note
  • 1948 Golden Splash
  • 1948 Pretty Package
  • 1951 Sweet William (floral scented, discontinued in 1952)
  • 1951 Tuberose (good for furs)
  • 1952 Exotic Custom Cologne (spicy scented)
  • 1952 Floral Custom Cologne 
  • 1952 Tailored Custom Cologne  (musky scented)
  • 1952 Woodsy Custom Cologne 
  • 1953 Et Pourtant

 









The images below are from an 1893 Marshall Field catalog and shows the Recamier line from Harriet Hubbard Ayer.












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This is not your average perfume blog. In each post, I present perfumes or companies as encyclopedic entries with as much facts and photos as I can add for easy reading and researching without all the extraneous fluff or puffery.

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