The Napoleon scent bottle is an artifact on display at the Perfume Passage Foundation's museum in Barrington, Illinois in The Vault Gallery.
This rare scent bottle is from a nécessaire travel box of the Emperor Napoleon I and is verified to have been with the Emperor's personal belongings.
The bottle is made of glass, wrapped in leather, and features a silver screw cap.
Napoleon loved and used enormous amounts of Eau de Cologne that he often carried in special bottles and reportedly even had one that fit into his boot.
He had a standing order with perfume house Chardin to deliver 50 bottles of their signature Eau de Cologne every month.
fragrance bottles in the 19th century were significantly smaller than today's bottles, so 50 bottles may not have been extreme and were necessary to fill larger flasks.
It is believed Napoleon preferred his fragrance to have a strong citrus scent with notes of rosemary, lavender and thyme. The scent of rosemary may have emotionally transported him to his childhood home in Corsica and kept him calm when preparing for battle.
The text on the label beneath the item reads:
Emperor Napoleon I Cologne Bottle
French
1804–1815
Glass, leather
Princely Palace of Monaco, Napoleon Bonaparte Collection
TRAVELING WITH NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (
1769-1821): This cologne bottle bears the image of one of the most recognized figures of European history—the portrait and imperial crown engraved on its metal shield. Said to be the statesman’s replica of the Iron Crown of the King of France, Napoleon was a great lover of perfume throughout his life, and near-singlehandedly rescued the perfume industry during his reign.
This lovely perfume bottle is a wonderful example of Art Nouveau with natural motifs and intricate craftsmanship.
Nuage de Printemps by A. Grieder.
The name, "Nuage" (Cloud) describes the soft, diffused, translucent quality of the bottle's glass and
"Printemps" (Spring) describes the painted motif of leaves and white spring flowers.
Pieces by Albert Grieder are highly sought after and are known for this style of hand-enameled glass.
.
Symbolic Art Glass Bottles
Five Colors
These Art deco perfume bottles were designed by Julien Viard (1875–1938)
a prominent French Art Deco designer who created many iconic perfume bottles for houses like Lubin and Richard Hudnut.
Corday's Fame was a popular and prestigious fragrance in 1940s–1950s. The name reflects the culture of Hollywood.. Corday released a special edition of Fame where the stopper was an exact replica of the Oscar statue.
These "Pelikana" or Pelican Head perfume bottles were originally designed by the Bohemian (Czech) glass company Heinrich Hoffmann in the 1920s/1930s and are highly sought after by collectors of Bohemian Art Deco glass. They were originally produced in a range of colors.
The Perfume Passage museum is located near Chicago and holds one of the world's most diverse collections of perfume-related artifacts.
This Art Nouveau cameo/enameled glass perfume bottle was one of my favorites in the museum's collection.
All photos are from my family albums and information is from Perfume Passage
