Raquel, Inc

Raquel, Inc. Established by Graeff Miller at 475 Fifth Avenue, New York City in 1924, started marketing in 1926. Raquel produced lipstick, rouge, face powder, soap, compacts, toilet water, sachet, talcum and bath crystals, all in addition to perfumes.

In 1926, Raquel, Inc., New York, perfumes and powders, placed its advertising account with the World Wide Advertising Corporation, New York. 

In 1927, Raquel, Inc. was purchased by Barclay & Co. at 26 Beaver Street, New York City. Raquel, Inc. manufactured perfumes, while Barclay was engaged chiefly in the exportation of soap.

By 1932, the company seems to have moved to 251 W.19th Street, New York City.

The perfumes of Raquel:

• 1920 Orange Blossom/Orange Blossom Fragrancia
• 1925 Olor de la Noche/Fragrance of the Night
• 1926 Le Menuet
• 1927 L'Endeley
• 1930 Chamonix
• 1931 Gardenia
• 1935 Primavera

A 1927 newspaper advertises that "Seven years ago, Raquel Orange Blossom was created in California."

Both Orange Blossom and Olor de la Noche came in four sizes from 3" to 6" tall.

A 1929 ad reads:

"Olor de la Noche, The Fragrance of the Night, High among the hills of Mexico  there grows a wild flower, with a strangely striking scent. Indian legend has it that for some strange reason, the flowers sends forth its scent only in the night, never in the day. This exotic fragrance is imprisoned in this exquisite perfume."

Beginning in the 1920s all of Raquel's perfumes were housed in these oval shaped bottles with wave like lines on the front and back, with matching stoppers. The bottles came in clear glass, black glass and clear frosted glass, sometimes with gilded stoppers. The design was patented in 1925 by Graeff Miller of Ridgewood, NJ. Design Patent D68,489.

In 1926, the bottles were changed into round spheres with a crackle finish and spire like stoppers. These were made at the TC Wheaton Glass Company of Millville, NJ (close to where I live). Wheaton was founded in 1888 and produced bottles for pharmaceutical use, but also for perfumers. By the 1930s, Wheaton was manufacturing bottles for quality perfume brands, both American and European such as Hattie Carnegie, Adrian, Prince Matchabelli, Liz Claiborne, Anne Klein, Corday, Nettie Rosenstein and Shulton.

The older bottles were discontinued because as a newspaper ad states, "the old bottle was expensive to make. The new bottle costs little but is still very good looking".

The last newspaper ad I have seen for Raquel perfumes is from 1939, they must have closed business shortly thereafter.

Raquel, Incorporated. Renewed July 21, 1945, to Lorain Products Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York, assignee by mesne assignments.