Bourjois, Ashes of Roses, 25 ml. or 0.87 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1909, 1930, Paris, France ..

In 1860, M. Ponsin, an actor, established a shop at 28 place Vendome, Paris, which sold perfumes, toiletries and cosmetics. In 1869, the shop was purchased by Alexandre Napoleon Bourjois and the company was renamed Bourjois. Around 1880, Emile Orosdi became a co-proprietor and in 1898, the business was acquired by Ernest Wertheimer, who had already established a reputation of producing perfumes, theatrical makeup, and a best selling rice face powder called Java. Bourjois invented the first dry rouge in 1890, and marketed the first powder compact

In the 1910s, Bourjois had set up an office in New York City. Manon Lescaut was one of the earliest Bourjois fragrances, introduced in 1907. In 1917, Pierre and Paul Wertheimer took over direction of Bourjois, with a new focus on modern, contemporary style. They wanted to move away from the traditional floral fragrances. Their fragrance Mon Parfum was launched in 1919, with the idea that "my perfume reflects my personality."

The Wertheimer Brothers made a fortune through theatre and vaudeville by selling their products there, and they met Coco Chanel while she was dancing as a showgirl. The Wertheimers cut a deal with her and would also go on to be the owners of Chanel perfumes. Cleopatra's Boudoir.

Launched in 1909, Ashes of Roses was a perfume and toiletry line both in France in 1909 and in the USA by 1913. It was introduced to England in 1923 with the formation of Bourjois Ltd. Ashes of Roses was created by Ernest Beaux, the famous creator of Chanel No. 5, Rallet No. 1, or of course Bourjois beautiful Kobako.

The delightful formula was a blend of Marechal Niel Rose, Tea Roses, Bulgarian Red Roses, and Honeyed Sweet Briar. The popularity of the Roses line paved the way for more lines. Each presentation used simple shapes, enhanced by coordinated paper graphics featuring a slender vase with a single flower. This design motif was typical of the Paul Iribe drawings from 1910. It is wholly possible that these graphics may have been designed by Iribe, who worked for perfume companies such as Lubin, LT Piver, Bichara, Rosine, Lanvin and others.

Ashes of Violets, and Ashes of Carnations came later and were created by perfumer Constantin Mikhailovich “Kot” Weriguine.

Offered here is a lovely and hugely rare bottle of Ashes of Roses parfum extrait which smells charmingly beautiful and sweet, though it is characteristically light. The bottle is typical of Art Deco style, with tall straight shoulders and a beautiful green glass bouchon. The perfume has stood the test of time, and is still viable. It opens with a slightly sultry rose note, a tiny bit bitter, but then it develops into a softer rose pallet. It has a gourmand aspect, edible notes of perhaps almonds and confections. Very very rare! Comes with its original box, though it is a bit battered and missing one end. Very rare to find nowdays ... Tiny fragment missing off the label at the top ..