Penhaligon's, The Language of Flowers, Violetta, 50 ml. or 1.7 oz. Flacon, Eau de Toilette, Spray, 1870, 1976, London, England ..

Penhaligon's is a historic British niche perfume house founded in 1870 by William Penhaligon, known for blending eccentric British tradition with high-end, storytelling-driven fragrance collections.

Originating as a barbershop on Jermyn Street in London, the brand launched its first scent, Hammam Bouquet, in 1872 and holds royal warrants from British royalty. Signature clear glass bottles feature colourful fabric bows around the stoppers, echoing original 19th-century designs. Formulations mix traditional British sensibilities with modern ingredients and advanced extraction technology.

Penhaligon's launched "The Portraits Collection" .. A whimsical, satirical line where each fragrance represents a fictional member of a scandalous Victorian aristocratic animal-headed family, such as The Tragedy of Lord George. Fragrances inspired by 19th-century London dock imports, utilizing exotic heavy spices, tea, and resins .. including popular best-sellers like Halfeti .. are part of a collection.

There are some historic mainstays that survived through generations, most notably Blenheim Bouquet .. commissioned in 1902 for the Duke of Marlborough .. and the crisp citrus-floral Luna.

Penhaligon's Violetta Eau de Toilette is a classic, celebrated floral-green heritage fragrance originally launched in 1976. Violetta captures the essence of a traditional Victorian-style solifleur .. a single-note-focused perfume .. while keeping a crisp, natural transparency rather than becoming overly syrupy or artificial.

It's top notes open sharply and brightly with a burst of citruses .. bergamot and lemon .. combined with green, slightly peppery geranium. The heart notes or core is dedicated exclusively to a pure, dusky, and velvety violet accord. It balances the powdery sweetness of the flower with a subtle, dewy green leaf quality. It dries down into a comforting, earthy foundation of base notes including sandalwood, cedar wood, and soft musk, adding warm depth to the delicate floral.

'Violetta is described as dark, dusky and mysterious. It is green and sharp to begin, and mellows down to a sweet, velvety fragrance. Sweet violets are complemented by green geranium, and finishes with subtle wood and musky notes. To me, it is the most perfect, gentle violet perfume. Best of all, it doesn’t smell soapy or like “chemicals”. I say this because Penhaligon’s managed to capture the true essence of violet. In the 19th century, fragrances based on violet came mainly from the Parma violet. It was painstaking work collecting enough of these tiny violets to create the perfume, therefore making it only available to the elite."

Offered here is a lovely 50 ml. flacon of this beautiful Violetta .. never used, though a little bit of evaporation. Long discontinued and very rare now ..