Houpette Pli Retractable Powder Puffs

In this guide I will introduce you to the small world of the Houpette Pli, the unusual container with a retractable swansdown powder puff from France. The word "houpette" means "puff in French. and Pli means "fold".

c1934 ad

The pli was manufactured by Alexandre Willk. Their primary client was Molinard.

Plis can be found made up of celluloid, bakelite and galalith. The bottom unscrews for powder and is usually imprinted “Brevete Pli S.G.D.G. Made In France”.

The top unscrews and reveals a fluffy powder puff when the cylinder tube is pushed up. Attached to material encasing the outside of the puff are delicate wires that allow the goose down feathers to expand as they are passed through the tube. Powder can be expelled by unscrewing the cap on the base.

The Houpette Pli truly was a masterpiece of both functionality and craftsmanship. The attention to detail in its design, from the materials used to the intricate mechanism for dispensing powder, is impressive. It must have been a must-have accessory for anyone seeking elegance and convenience in their beauty routine. 

French trademarks:

• Brevet or Brevete is French for "patent" or "patented." Remember, it is NOT the maker's name!
• Cie or Compagnie means "company."
• Déposé means "registered"
• Modele Déposé means "registered design"
• Marque Déposé means "trademark"
• Marque de Fabrique means "trademark."
• Décore a la main means "hand decorated."
• Bté. SGDG is the abbreviation for Breveté Sans Garantie du Gouvernement which means "Patented Without State Guarantee."

photos from worthpoint

Molinard branded Pli, photos from worthpoint

Molinard branded Pli, photos from worthpoint

photo from worthpoint

Antique English Cameo Glass Scent Bottles

In this guide I will introduce you to the world of antique English cameo glass scent bottles. These exquisite perfume flacons were popular during the Victorian era and were no doubt very expensive in their day just as they are now. There are some very good and informative websites which can explain the process of making cameo glass, so I wont put that info here.

English cameo glass appeared around 1876.  Acid etching allowed large areas of outer glass layers to be removed relatively faster rather than painstakingly removing it by hand. The carving of the design is achieved in two ways.

First, the outer layer is roughened by acid pitting to provided a key for the acid resist. The pattern is then painted in acid resist layer of wax or some other acid-resistant material such as bituminous paint and repeatedly placed in hydrofluoric acid which removes any area not covered by the resist. Then, the remaining glass is then modeled using small steel points or wheels set into wooden holders to 'carve' the glass. This produced very fine details not seen in French cameo glass.

Nineteenth-century English producers of true cameo glass include Thomas Webb and Sons and George Bacchus & Sons,  though ceramic imitations made popular by Wedgwood's bi-colored "jasper ware", imitated by others from the late 18th century onwards, are far more common. Like Wedgwood's designers, they usually worked in a more or less neoclassical style. Some of the finest English cameo glass artisans were Philip Pargeter (1826—1906) and John Northwood (1836—1902)

 Webb Cameo scent bottles were sold in fine jewelers and will sometimes bear markings with London, Paris and New York on the inside of the presentation cases.

THOMAS WEBB & SONS CAMEO GLASS SCENT BOTTLE, c. 1890's. 6 1/2" Long. 

A Thomas Webb & Sons perfume bottle, circa 1880, a silver mounted swan's head cameo glass perfume bottle and stopper, white overlay finely carved feathers on a blue body, silver cover hallmarked and bottle signed. Length 24 cm

AN ENGLISH CAMEO GLASS SCENT BOTTLE WITH AN AMERICAN SILVER MOUNT, 

THE GLASS THOMAS WEBB, LATE 19TH/20TH CENTURY, 

the silver marked 'Sterling' 

5¾in. (14.6cm.) high (2)

photo from Christies

Lundborg Perfumery

In this guide I have listed the various perfumes by Lundborg Perfumery of New York. Young, Ladd & Coffin were the proprietors and manufacturers. The company stayed in business until 1954.

Lundborg's Perfumery was founded in 1850 by a Swedish immigrant, John Marlie Lundborg who came to the United States and settled in Hudson, New Jersey. He left Sweden early in life and was a reported to be a fine botanist and chemist, who had a great love for flowers, and "possessed a peculiar gift duplicating their perfume". Concocting perfume was not only a hobby, but proved to be lucrative and was turned into a business. After some years later in America, he established himself as a manufacturer of perfumes, in fact he is listed the New York City Business Directory by Trow in 1860 as a "perfumer."

La Dore Perfumes

In this guide I will introduce you to the perfumes presented by La Dore. The company was situated in Paris, France and in Chicago.

I was able to cull most of my info from the 1908 Sears & Roebuck catalog. Some of their advertisements read:

"La Dore Imported Perfumes. The La Dore line of perfumes is manufactured by one of America's best perfumers and is the same grade of perfume retailed at 50 cents and 60 cents per ounce in bulk at retail drug stores. The odors are all sweet, delicate and lasting. Beautiful 1 and 2 ounce glass stoppered bottles as shown in illustrations. Each bottle is neatly capped with fine kid and tied with fancy ribbon, and makes a very neat and pretty appearance.While this line of perfume is exceptionally fine value for the price quoted, it can in no way compare with our higher priced perfumes. One ounce bottle - $0.35. For a two ounce bottle - $0.55."

"La Dore Ruby Salve. Ruby Salve is a refined and harmless rouge prepared in the form of a cream for tinting the cheeks, lips and fingers, leaves a perfectly natural stain or glow abd can never be detected. The majority of ladies prefer rouge in this form, as it is put up in a very convenient manner and easily applied. Our price- $0.17."

"La Dore Crystal Shampoo Jelly. Removes dandruff, leaves the hair soft and keeps the scalp in a healthy condition; produces the finest foam, is the most economical shampoo abd is excellent as a cleanser. Our price $0.24"

The perfumes of La Dore:

•  1908 Violet
• 1908 White Rose
• 1908 Carnation
• 1908 Heliotrope
• 1908 Crabapple
• 1908 Lily of the Valley
• 1908 Jockey Club
• 1908 Narcissus
• 1908 Trailing Arbutus

Lesourd Pivert

Lesourd Pivert was established in 1876 and sold perfumes, toiletries and cosmetics at their shop at 24 rue Albouy, Paris.

**finding information on this company was next to nil. If you have anything to contribute to the page, please let me know. Thanks!

The following are advertisements from a 1908 Sears & Roebuck Catalog:

 "Myrka Powder. We have made arrangements whereby we can furnish you the world famous Imported Myrka Powder. A veryfine and highly appreciated powder, and very delicately perfumed. Ingredients are harmless and chemically pure. Stands unquestioned as one of the finest and best powders for constant use. Gives that velvet softness to the skin so much admired by all. Comes in three colors: white, flesh and brunette. Be sure to state the shade wanted.Our price: $.033."

"Satinette Face Powder.This Imported face powder is made by one of the best perfumers in Paris France. It is manufactured from the very finest sifted rice flour and delightfully perfumed. Absolutely guaranteed free from any harmful ingredients. It is a very popular powder and is the genuine imported article. Furnished in three shades: white, flesh and brunette. Be sure to state which shade wanted. Our Price: $0.25"

"Trefle Complexion Powder. This highly praised and largely used Parisian Powder is imported by us, enabling our customers to obtain the powder so much used abroad. It is composed of the purest ingredients, very sweetly perfumed and is a powder that will give absolute satisfaction. Comes in three shades: white, flesh and brunette. Be sure to state which shade wanted. Our price: $0.21"

The perfumes of Lesourd-Pivert:

•  1920s Fleurs de Paris
• Aurélia
• Aux Trois Fleurs
• 1950s Oeillet

A reader named Malcolm sent me this:

"I came across a reference to a Lesourd-Pivert scent, described as an 'eau-de-Cologne', in the French author Jean Malaquais' first novel (which won the Prix Renaudot in 1939), Les Javanais. It comes in the third chapter of the English translation of 1941, The Men from Java. One of the novel's most unpleasant characters, the pimp Esteve, is about to go out for the evening, and Malaquais describes his lengthy preparations in great detail. 'Esteve preened himself in front of the mirror, and sprayed himself with eau-de-Cologne. Pivert, the brand he used, was a good toilet water, it smelt of violets, Esteve's favourite scent.' Indeed, he likes it so much that just before going out the door he sprays 'another small squirt of scent into his wide-open mouth'. So it seems that Pivert made eau-de-colognes as well as the perfumes you list. Malaquais lived until 1998 (and in the latter part of his life was a great friend of Norman Mailer) and kept revising his two greatest novels over the years, so that the current French edition of Les Javanais is much shorter than the original. Oddly, one of the details he took out was the description of the scent, which in the current version is just an unnamed eau-de-Cologne. Voila -- a rather obscure literary reference to a rather obscure scent!"

Thierry Mugler Le Parfum Coffret c2006

In 2006, Thierry Mugler created a beautiful coffret that held fifteen perfumes that were based on the movie Perfume, which was adapted from the novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. The perfume set was designed as an olfactory companion to the film.

Armand Perfumes

Established by Carle Armand in Des Moines, Iowa; launched range of fragrances c1920 to 1950; also launched fragrances under Carle Inc in 1930 and 1931. Also known as Armour of Chicago, Illinois; launched a range of fragrances in the 1920's; Luxor a subsidiary, also affiliated with Krasny.

Parfums Deltah

Deltah Perfumes. Inc.. 18 W. 21 St.. New York.

Lilly Daché

Lilly Daché  (1893 to 1990) French-born, US-based milliner at 76 East 56th Street New York; married the perfumer Jean Desprez in 1931.

Dermay Perfumers, Inc

Dermay Perfumers Inc. was an American company established in 1924 by Jerome "Jerry" E. Baum at 347 Fifth Avenue, New York City. Specializing in a diverse range of personal care products, Dermay sold bath salts, perfumes, creams, toilet waters, face powder, talcum, bath and dusting powders, manicure sets, and soaps. The name Dermay was officially filed for trademark in 1924, solidifying its brand identity. Jerome Baum served as the president, secretary, and director of the company, playing a pivotal role in its operations and development.