Ce Soir ou Jamais by Parfums Offenthal c1927

Parfums Offenthal of Paris was established by Lucienne Offenthal, a purse maker at 24 rue de la Paix, Paris in 1925. She sold perfume, luxury giftware and purses under the "Pompadour" name in the 1920s - 1930s. The "Pompadour" shop was at 78 Champs Elysées, Paris in the Arcades (in 1928)

Offenthal was best known for her Ce Soir ou Jamais perfume, launched around 1927. This perfume was a favorite of the actress Sylvia Sidney.

The American Perfumer and Essential Oil Review, 1928:

"But the most remarkable seems to be the sensational creation of Offenthal, a mannequinist, who has recently opened a shop in the Arcades of the Champs Elysees. In his front window he placed a set of dark green quarter of a liter bottles looking very much like mineral water bottles and containing a perfume bearing the funny name of "Ce Soir ou Jamais." There is positively no limit to fancy names for perfume."

Ce Soir ou Jamais was distributed in the United States by David & Blum, glove importers from New York. I think the perfume that was sold in the US was marked with Pompadour rather than Offenthal.

The Glovers Review, Volume 29, 1929:

"Andre David, Norman Blum and Joseph Isaacs, of David & Blum, Inc., glove importers of New York, together with Jacques Frankel, former merchandise manager with Franklin Simon & Company, have organized Pompadour Toiletries, sole American distributors of a French perfume, "Ce Soir ou Jamais."

The American Perfumer and Essential Oil Review, 1931:

"Pompadour Toiletries , Inc. , New York , Importer of "Ce Soir ou Jamais" (Tonight or Never) perfume, has effected an unusual tie - up of advertising with the new Gloria Swanson motion picture of the same name now being featured in in New York. The arrangement which suggests possibilities of similar tie-ups for the industry with other theatrical and motion picture enterprises began before the first presentation of the picture to the public. Through a cooperative arrangement between the producers of the picture and Pompadour Toiletries, Inc., joint advertising has been arranged both at the theatres where the picture is being shown and in the local stores, the theatres having an elaborate display of the perfume and the importers featuring the picture in their window and case display work through the retail outlets. Arrangements have been made to continue this during the showing of the picture in other cities and throughout the country. In addition to the theatre programs, descriptive folders and other publicity for the picture are being shared by the company so that both enterprises will become associated in the public mind and both reap the benefit of additional publicity."

In the film, Tonight or Never, Gloria Swanson plays a young opera singer who finds her career stalled because of her cold and passionless performances, until she finds romance with a handsome admirer. Also starring Melvyn Douglas, Alison Skipworth and Ferdinand Gottschalk.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It was a floral fragrance for women and described as "the golden fragrance of white locust blossoms" and "spicy, lasting" in advertisements.

• Top notes:
• Middle notes: white locust blossoms
• Base notes:

 

Bottles:

Ce Soir ou Jamais was available in two different bottles, a deluxe version and a less expensive version.

A 1929 newspaper ad reads: "Ce Soir ou Jamais - The perfume that made a king happy - A charming legend relates it was this fragrance which won for Louis XV the love of the delightful coquette, the Marquise de Pompadour. His ardent wooding was resisted until he presented her a flacon of this exquisite perfume. Now the secret has been handed down, and is contained in a charming flacon encased in a treasure chest modeled after those which contained the extravagant treasures of the French court. $12.00."

Another 1929 newspaper reads: "Ce Soir ou Jamais (Tonight or Never) Ravishing as the days of La Pompadour - days of intrigue behind heavy tapestries. An exquisite perfume - its fragrance lingers in the memory."

The deluxe version looks like a miniature champagne bottle, made of green glass, it's center was molded with a circular indentation which contained the embossed gold paper label with the perfume's name. Another indentation, towards the base of the bottle contained a paper label reading "Offenthal Paris." The bottle was fitted with a colorless glass stopper which has been frosted. The bottle stands 3.5" tall. I believe the bottle holds one ounce of parfum.

This cute bottle was presented inside of a hinged case shaped like a domed jewel casket. The exterior of the bottle is covered with faux leather printed paper embossed with a crest with a "P" monogram in flourishing script on the top of the domed lid, an ornate keyhole in the rococo style on the front, and a repeating pattern of crowns, the P monograms and raised diamond shaped and circular nubs imitating brass studs. The satin interior of the domed lid is printed with the name "Pompadour" for Lucienne Offenthal's Parisian shop.

 

 

Another deluxe example is a tall, narrow, colorless Baccarat crystal flacon, its reverse delicately wheel engraved with the monogram and floral wreath. This is said to be a customized edition.

The less expensive versions of the bottles are square colorless glass shapes fitted with frosted glass stoppers molded with a stylized floral pattern. They bottles are housed in rectangular boxes covered in paper mimicking the designs on the deluxe trunk box. I believe these came in two sizes: 1/4 oz and 1/2 oz. One bottle stands 2.5" tall.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown.