1953 TJ Holmes Holmspray Atomizers Advertisement

1953 TJ Holmes Holmspray Atomizers Ads from catalog.

California Perfume Company Perfume Atomizer

I have seen this particular perfume atomizer several times in different colors over the years, it has no identifying marks whatsoever. However, I was lucky to come across an ebay listing for a 1932 Avon/California Perfume Company trade catalog, and lo and behold, the atomizer was pictured in it! Who made this for Avon?   

The bottle is shown on page 36, in the Bud Hastin’s, New 15th Edition, AVON Products & California Perfume Co. Collectors Encyclopedia, 1998. This atomizer is shown in the book as part of a 1933 gift set, for the fragrance, Vernafleur. The Art Deco styled nickel plated hardware, and a nickel plated siphon tube. Height of the atomizer is: 5.25" tall.

Gironde Wonder Girl Atomizer c1920s

A curious perfume atomizer was spied upon while browsing the ebay listings in 2012. It consists of a hand painted plaster or chalkware half doll figure, complete with wig, atop a glass atomizer base. made for the Gironde company, it was dubbed the "Wonder Girl Atomizer." Made in 1923, it was created by Maybelle A. Meyer, and awarded with the patent number 146204. 

The Wonder Girl was available with different hair colors. She was found with a wire metal frame which was covered with silk to imitate a skirt which would cover up the base of the bottle. The half doll was made in Germany. The doll sits 8" tall from top of wig to base of bottle. Bottom Label reads: "Guaranteed by the Wonder Girl Atomizer co. NEW YORK, N.Y.U.S. Pat. No. 1462.041"

 

The half doll is made up of plaster and conceals most of the atomizer hardware. When the bulb is squeezed, the fragrance comes out the belly button! How ingenious and risque for the time period.

Reading the patent specifications, the prototype half doll was made of celluloid and was meant to be clothed by ribbons or straps held up by the shoulders and the fabric would be gathered around the base to conceal the perfume bottle and look more like a doll standing atop the vanity. The plaster doll head has flaming red human hair and is probably French or German in origin.


This great piece was up for auction on ebay from the seller cclinne. All pictures are from her auctions.

c1953 DeVilbiss Perfume Atomizers Advertisement

c1953 DeVilbiss Perfume Atomizers Ad from Catalog

c1937 DeVilbiss Perfume Atomizer Advertisement

c1937 DeVilbiss Perfume Atomizer Ad from a Magazine.

My Memories

My first memories of Art Deco atomizers was at a young age. I remembered seeing a program by the Kovels called the Collector or Know Your Antiques, it was about collectors and their antiques. I can remember that I saw a woman who had a huge collection of antique and vintage perfume bottles, this woman’s collection included Victorian, Art Deco and Czech bottles, but the ones that captured my interest were those gorgeous Deco DeVilbiss bottles all artfully displayed amongst the other perfumes. They stood like elegant sentries guarding the precious English cameo glass scent bottles and fine cut glass examples of the Edwardian era.

It wasn’t until a few years later when I saw them pictured in a book on American Art Glass and I was thrilled to see who manufactured these beauties. It was then that I was hooked on finding out more about DeVilbiss perfumes. I was fascinated at how many different styles and designs were produced. So many different finishes, decorations, colors, shapes and mountings. It was also around that time when I discovered other bottles that looked a lot like DeVilbiss, but were made by other companies. My curiosity grew but then came to a halt when I realized that there wasn’t much written about DeVilbiss or their competitors at the time. I had seen a couple books on perfume bottles which had briefly mentioned DeVilbiss and showed several bottles, but always hoped to find a book that had more DeVilbiss pieces.

I also have an unusual theory of where DeVilbiss may have got the inspiration for the design some of the most common of his perfumizers. In 1922, Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. This sparked a huge craze in anything Egyptian related and created another wave of Egyptian Revival. All things Egyptian were in furniture, vanity items, jewelry, architecture, fashion, flatware, metalware, glass, paper goods, books and porcelain. Pictures of tomb paintings and artifacts were emblazoned in the magazines and newspapers of the day.

I have seen several instances in books on Ancient Egypt which show a very distinct object, known as a vessel for pouring the libations and holy perfumes of the gods. The hieroglyph for “to praise” or “favor” is a hes-jar. These important sacred ewers, called hes-vases or hes-jars, are coincidentally the same shape as the Art Deco DeVilbiss perfumizers. One of these hes-vases are shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I wonder if DeVilbiss saw a picture of a tomb painting and was inspired to create his sleek Art Deco perfumizers. I often think of perfumes themselves as gifts from the gods.

Early Atomizer History

Perfume bottles, those delicate flasks which hold precious scented liquids, have been popular since the ancient age of perfume making in Egypt, Rome, Greece and the Middle East. They are more popular now than they ever were and with a vast array of perfumes and bottle styles available to the masses it is important to touch on some of the history of these collectibles. Beginning in the modern perfume making years, perfumes were only to be found on the shelves of apothecaries. These large utilitarian bottles were not fit to sit upon a lady’s feminine vanity table, so she would bring her own flask to be filled with the stores own perfumes.

During the mid 1850s, the first atomizer appeared, born from a necessity to aid in the administration of throat medicines. After this time, atomizers were used primarily by men, from barbers using them to spray conditioning perfumed oil onto their client’s beards, to gardeners spraying pesticides onto their plants. In the late 1870s, at the Paris Exposition Universalle, the major perfumeries like Guerlain, Caron, Lubin, Violet, LT Piver, Molinard and others used a new way to show off their perfumes, which they dubbed the “pulverizateur“ or “vaporizateur“. These special bottles became a popular method for ladies to apply perfume, with a majority of the bottles exported from France and Bohemia.

The atomizer, the dropper bottles and perfume lamps, each one of these enabled the new woman of the 1920s and 1930s to share her perfumes with everyone who came in contact with her. The perfume lamps diffused her perfume throughout her boudoir, whilst her atomizer sprayed millions and millions of little droplets of perfume onto her delicate skin, and lastly her dauber touches her skin with the lightest of applications.


This site is devoted to the most widely known manufacturer in the field of perfume bottles, DeVilbiss, as well as the lesser known competitors who vied for a place in the marketing world alongside DeVilbiss: Volupte, Apollo, E & J Bass, Gironde, Mignon, Aristo, Silvercraft , Pyramid, Marcel Franck and the Czechoslovakian pieces, as well as other companies.

I found an article in a 1910 edition of Notions and Fancy Goods, a trade publication for store owners.

"Atomizers are today one of the most staple of fancy toilet accessories, and while they have been in favor for a number of years, the demand for them is constantly increasing. The assortments being shown this season are larger and more varied than ever before, and the designs and shapes more beautiful and artistic. While very attractive lines of bulb atomizers are being shown, to retail as low as 25 cents each, still it is not believed that the business done in that grade will be as large as that in years past, owing to the fact that these cheap atomizers too often fail to do their work properly, and are not the only source of considerable trouble in that direction, but tend to injure the reputation of the store selling them. 

A short history of the trade in atomizers might be interesting to the younger generation of buyers. The atomizer of today is an entirely different article from what it was when first introduced. The natural inclination of manufacturers to improve existing models and create new ideas has tended to the betterment of this particular industry not only in this country. But also abroad. 

As far as we can learn, the first atomizers offered for the approval of American buyers in the early 1860s were of foreign make, composed of earthenware and having an handle attachment somewhat resembling that of an ordinary pump. The suction created by the raising and lowering of the pump induced the spray. Although these atomizers were of rather crude construction, still they were such a novelty that many of them were sold from $20 to $50 each., and were considered quite a luxury. Owing to its cost, the popularity of this style of atomizer was of short duration.

Somewhere between 1880 and 1890 the first bulb atomizers were placed on the market. They took quite a hold on the public, and practically became a staple article for the trade. Not long after the invention of the bulb atomizers, what is now known as the “pump” variety was introduced, but never became very popular, probably owing to the difficulty in handling them. Considerable objection was made to them by women, who complained that their hands and gloves became soiled in using them, the liquid oozing out during the operation of raising and lowering the piston, which was necessary to create the spray. Another objection to this style was their tendency to get out of order on account of the intricate valves with which they were provided. 

At about this time a Bohemia manufacturer put on the market an atomizer that combined the features of both the bulb and pump atomizer, already referred to. This new atomizer, instead of having a rubber bulb, had a pump running in a glass tube acting as a piston rod. The head of this rod also acted as a spray inducer. The same disagreeable features appeared in this atomizer as existed in the earlier pump varieties, and in consequence, it was a very short lived innovation. 

The last improvement in atomizers was the adoption of the long rubber tube leading from the container itself to the bulb. It first appeared in Paris and shortly afterward in London,. Where it achieved a remarkable and permanent success. The great advantage of this style was the fact that it was always ready for use and easily handled, the slightest pressure on the bulb causing it to emit the spray. 

It must be acknowledged that this sensible and practical style of atomizer has not achieved the success in this country that its merits would seem to warrant. This is largely owing to the fact that up to the present season, no importer brought out a sufficiently large number of samples of this style to make the line attractive. Where perhaps half a dozen styles of this kind were shown in the line, a hundred other makes would be displayed, to the manifest disadvantages of the former.

Another reason for the non-popularity of these long tube atomizers was the fact that in case a bulb was damaged the whole atomizer was rendered useless, as there was no way of repairing them in this country, and it would cost too much to secure duplicate parts from Europe. This difficulty, however , has now been overcome. Importers are not only able to furnish duplicate parts of any portion of the atomizer, but are in a position to supply retailers with these same parts, so that they can repair their own atomizers whenever necessary. 

The new samples shown in this particular line of perfume atomizers comprise very many new styles, in all kinds of materials, including cut, Baccarat and Bohemian glass in pure white and combinations of colors at a full range of prices, which allow them to be retailed from 50 cents upward. This style atomizer is also used for medicinal purposes, and can be secured with nasal attachment, if desired. Now that all the objections to this kind of atomizer see, to have been resolved, they should prove a good selling proposition. 

A good idea would be to have an atomizer always at hand to test the various perfumes, but the indiscriminate spraying of perfumes on customers should not be permitted as many perfumes are very objectionable to a number of persons." 

Another article was found in the National Drug Clerk, Volume 7, from 1919. It discusses the importance of displaying perfume atomizers all year round.

“Refer to the line of perfume atomizers. The way to sell them is to display them and keep them polished up and clean. Some merchants have the impression that when they have only a half dozen, or a dozen, on hand they cannot make a display of the. This is wrong. 

A half dozen perfume atomizers placed in one group, either in the display case or outside of it, will attract attention. If, on the other hand, this same half dozen were scattered through a display case, mixed up with various other articles, it’s dollars to doughnuts people will not see them. One-half-dozen attractive perfume atomizers grouped together in one spot, on top of the toilet goods case, or inside it, will produce more sales than would a dozen or two placed singly or scattered throughout the toilet goods department. 

Many dealers get the impression that perfume atomizers are a holiday line. They might just as well say that perfume, toilet water, razors , stationary, and cameras are holiday lines. It is true that more perfume atomizers are sold during the holidays than during any other season, but this is also true of the other lines mentioned, and no one will say that perfumes, razors, etc should be displayed only during the holidays. Perfumes and toilet waters are sold every month. Some dealers wait until perfume atomizers are called for, and in many cases they are called for. 

However, I venture the statement that a large percentage of sales of perfume atomizers are made to people who had no thought of buying a perfume sprayer, but were attracted by a display and appreciated its beauty and utility for the dressing table. Perfume atomizers and toilet waters go hand in hand, and a most appropriate present for any occasion would be a combination of a nice bottle of toilet water or perfume and a handsome cut glass perfume atomizer for distributing the fragrance. A well arranged display of perfume atomizers, even of only a half dozen will increase the sale of them and of perfumes and toilet waters.”

Quaker Silver Perfume Atomizers c1930

Quaker Silver Company

The Quaker Silver Company had an elegant gold plated/silver-plated stemmed atomizer that has its embossed areas picked out in black enamel. This bottle can be found with it’s design patent number of 75919 on the base which corresponds to the date of 1928 and was filed by James W. Jennings, the assignor to the Quaker Silver Company. This item was originally designed for a salt & pepper shaker and similar article as noted on the design patent drawing. The bottle can also be found with the markings “Juanita Atomizer” and “736 Reg.“. The atomizer hardware looks to be made by Pyramid. An example of this perfume atomizer is shown in the Monsen & Baer Perfume Bottle Auction Catalog of 2002.

Quaker Silver Perfume Atomizers from a 1930 Union Hardware & Metal Company catalog.

No. 736 stood 7" tall, was 24kt gold plated and retailed for $9.20 each.

No. 734 stood 5.5" tall, was 24kt gold plated  and retailed for $7.25 each.

No. 743 stood 5 3/4" tall, was 24kt gold plated and retailed for $7.00 each.

 

No. 753-1 stood 5 1/4" tall, was enameled and silver plated, retailed for $7.25 each.

No. 753-6 stood 5" tall, was enameled and silver or gold plated, retailed for $7.25 each. Marked on the bottom "patent appld for", "atomizer" and "Quaker", the bottom is not plated. The bottle measures 5.75" tall.

No. 739-2 stood 5 1/2" tall, was enameled and silver plated, retailed for $7.25 each.

From the "Juanita" line. No. 707 stood 7" tall, six sided, and featured a flower basket detail on the side, was 24kt gold plated and retailed for $9.20 each. The pattern was called the "Arcadia" when used on salt pepper shakers. 

No. 304 stood 7 1/2" tall, had a gilded base and top, fitted atop a music box. Bottle was opaque blue glass, retailed for $10.10 each.

No. 303 stood 8 1/2" tall, had a gilded base and top, fitted atop a music box. Bottle was opaque blue glass, retailed for $11.50 each.

No. 302 stood 8 1/2" tall, had a gilded base and top, fitted atop a music box. Bottle was opaque blue glass, retailed for $12.90 each.

Other Quaker atomizers & dropper bottles not shown in the catalog page:

From the "Juanita" line is this Gold plated Quaker Silver Perfume Atomizer c1930. Stands 5 3/4" tall. 

This dropper bottle was No 719. The bottle was silver plated metal, with alternating panels of hand hammered effect and engraved Art Deco floral and geometric designs. It stands about 5" tall x 1 3/4" wide at the base.

This gorgeous gold plated and richly enameled atomizer is the No. 728 from around 1930. Stands at 5" tall. The bottom of the bottle reads: "Quaker Silver Co 728 Reg Patent Applied For Atomizer."

The three piece set below consists of an atomizer, a dropper and a footed vanity container. Each perfume measures 6.5" tall and a 2" base. Both bottles have an etched floral design on two sides. The dropper bottle has a round black enamel stopper with a long glass dauber. The atomizer bottle has a gold colored cord and bulb. The footed container measures 4" tall and the base is 2.5" wide. It is decorated with the same Art Deco floral design as the bottles. It is hinged and inside has a hinged flip top frame to hold a lipstick tube and has two rouge sections. The rest of the compartment held face powder. .James W. Jennings applied for the patent for this container in 1929 and it was licensed in 1931. It is hard to find a three piece set like this.