Lenthéric, Lentheric, Numero 12, 7.5 ml. or 0.25 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1956, 1960, Paris, France ..

Lenthéric is an very old and venerated company which was established in 1795 as a millinery. In the 19th century, fashion accessories were added to the store. From 1873, perfumes were being informally blended in the store for sale. Guillaume Louis Lenthéric, a hairdresser, established the perfume-cosmetics company 'La Parfumerie des Orchidees' in 1885.

Guillaume Lenthéric exclusively distilled and dispensed the rarest perfumes in France for the loveliest ladies of the courts and aristocracy in Europe. He was one of the first to venture into foreign fields and eventually his firm passed into English hands. A large building at 245 rue du Faubourg-Saint Honore in Paris was acquired in 1885 and turned into a salon for millinery, perfumes, cosmetics and important beauty-hairdressing. Lenthéric was made a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in gratitude for his contributions to one of France's greatest industries.

By 1900, branches were opened in Deauville, Monte Carlo, Nice, Biarritz, Ostend, Baden-Baden, and London. In 1910, the company was acquired by Velsch & Holtz. Guillaume Lenthéric died in 1912. Lenthéric began marketing perfumes in the United States in the 1920s, opening a very lavish salon at the Savoy Plaza in New York. Their distributor was John J. Murphy. The firm incorporated in 1924. Lenthéric became a subsidiary of Squibb, and was 90% controlled by the parent company in January 1942.

In 1947, Lenthéric, Inc., experienced a decline in earnings due to higher wages, advertising expenses, and vast returns of merchandise from retail stores, which trimmed inventories. In 1951 the company hoped to increase sales by introducing a new line of makeup called Sheer Beauty. Lenthéric was later acquired by Squibb in 1956. Squibb had manufacturing plants in Brooklyn, New York and New Brunswick, New Jersey in July 1952. The Squibb main building was at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in New York City.

In 1990, Old Bond Street, which was owned by Wasserstein Perella & Co., purchased Lenthéric and Yardley . In 1998, Old Bond Street collapsed and Lenthéric was sold to Shaneel Enterprises Ltd. Such was the fate of this marvelous old company, but due to the high quality of the products, they were able to maintain their sales and stay in business through the different ownerships. Apparently the perfume was discontinued in the 1970's.

Launched in 1956 .. though some perfume experts suggest a much earlier date in the 1920's, Numero 12 is a lovely women's fragrance that combines spicy, green and resinous facets. The composition centres on an interplay of aromatic spices, verdant green notes and warm resins, creating a contrast between sharp freshness and a deeper, slightly oriental warmth.

But in any case our story really begins in 1965, when Lentheric was acquired by the British American Tobacco group (BAT)... Lentheric 12 is distinguished as being one of the earliest 'modern' Lentheric perfumes - those released after BAT acquired the company.

"Back in the 1960's and 1970's BAT owned several perfume and fragrance houses. One, Lentheric, wanted a perfume that would "appeal to women everywhere". So they went to 12 of the world's best-known painters and commissioned them to paint their ideal of feminine beauty. Some of the painters included Pietro Annigoni, Peter Blake, Padamsee, Ruskin Spear, Robert Ladou and William Dargie."

The advertising for Lentheric 12 was somewhat innovative as well. The ads for the scent all featured 'winning' artworks submitted from the 12 artists; each contributed an image of the idyllic woman for whom '12' was created.... But make no mistake, this perfume was created for a fully-formed Eve of a woman, not some girl-child archetype. The scent smells wonderfully complex: spicy and smooth; dry, bitter and sweet; of bread and of fur; herbal, grassy and resinous.

Lentheric 12 reflects the influence of those great creations of the late 1940s through 1950s. It comes from a time when companies cared enough to compete with each other to bring only the best releases to market. '12' seems to me like a hybrid of the Dior style of chypre and of Lancome's silky orientals, especially. It also reminds me quite a bit of an earlier, similarly complex and mysterious perfume: Shocking by Schiaparelli. It is also reminiscent for me of Polly Bergen's overlooked 1970s creation, Tortue.

Lentheric '12' came in the parfum extrait form, in a beautiful crystal topped flacon, as well as in an Eau de Toilette.

Top notes are Orange Blossom, Lily of the Valley, and Hyacinth
Heart notes are Tuberose, Jasmine, Rose, and Narcissus
Base notes are Patchouli, Vetiver, Civet, Musk, and Oak Moss

Offered here is an incredibly rare little quarter ounce bottle of Numero 12. It is absolutely full, never used, and pristine. It comes in its original presentation box. Some soil to the box. It is gorgeous!!