de Massenet, Altessa, 240 ml. or 8 oz. Flacon, Eau de Cologne, 1940, New York, NY ..

Parfums de Massenet, Inc. was formed by G.R Parkinson in Paris around 1940 and was subsequently established at 509 Madison Ave, New York, New York. Parkinson created several beautiful perfumes during the short life of the company, which was later dismantled due to the difficulties of the Second World War, which included Altessa de Massenet, Bouquet Americain, Liquid Flowers, Madalay, Rhapsodie and Shéhérazade. Of these Mandalay was unquestionably the most popular.

By way of history, in December 1941 the Japanese invasion of Burma opened what would be the longest land campaign for Britain and her allies of the entire war. It began with defeat and pell-mell retreat, as Rangoon fell to the invading Japanese in March 1942. British, Indian and Chinese forces were driven back into India. The fighting would stretch on, over a varied terrain of jungles, mountains, plains and wide rivers, stopping only for the monsoon, until Japanese surrender in 1945. Latterly Burma became completely cut off from the rest of the world, as various coups and takeovers destroyed the existing infrastructure.

In America and Europe the notions of .. Burma, Mandalay, Rangoon, Pagan .. were highly romanticized, as westerners longed to know more about the mystical countries of the East, their cultures, religions, and traditional ways. In the perfume industry this theme was heavily played upon, as not only did people want to know more about these far away places, but also because many of the exotic perfumery ingredients came from the East.

Launched in 1940, Altessa was one of the fragrance lines developed by de Massenet. While there are no fragrance notes to be found, I imagine the construction would be something like this . .

Aromatic citrus scents in the top notes are offered by vibrant and sparkling citrus fruits of Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin, and Orange. The heart brings aromas of Neroli, Myrtle, Petitgrain, Carnations, Roses, and Rosemary, while the base hides a discreet spicy Clove twist.

This is a gorgeous and huge bottle of this wonderful refreshing cologne, fabulous for use in the hot summer months .. a generous splash of instant revival!!

Collectible ..