Prochaska & Parfums Edouardo

Originally established by Franz Prochaska, a native of Prague, the Prochaska firm began its operations in the mid-19th century and relocated to Vienna around 1847. From its early years, the company built a strong reputation for high-quality soaps, perfumes, and pomades, positioning itself among the most respected toiletry manufacturers in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Prochaska’s success was grounded in craftsmanship and product excellence rather than courtly association, a point later emphasized in its own advertising.

By 1900, Prochaska had achieved the prestigious designation of Kaiserliche und Königliche Hoflieferant—Imperial and Royal Court Purveyor—supplying perfumes to the Emperor and the Austrian royal family. However, a contemporary advertisement made clear that this honor followed, rather than defined, the firm’s reputation. As the copy proudly stated, “his toilet goods, not the Royal favor, made him,” underscoring that Prochaska’s acclaim rested firmly on the quality and popularity of its products long before official court recognition was granted.

The firm’s international standing was further solidified through its participation in major exhibitions and world fairs, where it consistently received awards. Prochaska was honored with a medal of merit at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873, followed by a grand diploma with medals at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. Additional distinctions included a silver diploma in Paris in 1878, a gold medal in Paris in 1879, and another gold medal at the Trieste Exhibition in 1882. These accolades reflected both technical excellence and broad international appeal at a time when such exhibitions were critical to commercial prestige.

In the early 20th century, the company underwent significant restructuring. By the mid-1920s, Prochaska’s perfumery operations in Vienna were reorganized, becoming Proka Parfumerie in 1925. In 1926, the broader enterprise formally divided into Edouardo and Proka Parfumerie, with the new name registered in 1927. Distribution of Proka’s products was handled by Parfums Edouardo, marking a transition from a long-established 19th-century house to a modernized structure suited to the evolving perfume market of the interwar period.

Prochaska Perfumes:

• 1890 New Mown Hay
• 1891 Bouquet de L'Exposition
• 1899 Extract Violette Russes
• 1902 Ambre Royal
• 1906 Violette Prochaska
• 1906 Sweet Pea
• 1906 Rose Reine
• 1906 Empire
• 1906 Mon Secret
• 1906 Le Supreme
• 1906 Violette Merveilleuse
• 1908 Extract Royal Rose
• 1909 Bouquet Ideal Extract
• 1910 Royal Frosia
• 1910 Violette Fleuri
• 1910 Muguet Fleuri
• 1911 Royal Bouvardia
• 1915 Mon Amour
• 1925 Bul Bul
• 1928 Original Bouvardia
• Astrid
• Œillet Royal

Julien Viard perfume bottle of clear crystal with enamel and brown patina. c. 1926. 3 1/4", for Prochaska, bottle made in Czechoslovakia, photo from Rago Arts.

Parfums Edouardo:

Parfums Edouardo maintained a transatlantic presence that reflected both commercial ambition and artistic aspiration. In the United States, the company operated an executive office at 20 Broad Street in New York City, situating itself within the city’s financial and commercial district. By 1930, its New York address had shifted to 300 Fourth Avenue, signaling expansion and repositioning during a period when American interest in luxury European perfumes continued to grow despite economic uncertainty.

At the heart of its production was a factory in Grasse, the historic center of French perfumery. By manufacturing and packing its products in Grasse, Parfums Edouardo aligned itself with the highest standards of fragrance craftsmanship. This connection lent authenticity and prestige to the brand, allowing it to market its goods as genuinely French in origin while distributing them internationally. Grasse also provided access to skilled labor, traditional techniques, and the raw materials essential to fine perfumery.

The company was established by the artist M. B. Tatum on Madison Avenue in New York, a detail that underscores Edouardo’s creative orientation. Founded by an artist rather than a traditional industrialist, the brand emphasized design, originality, and visual appeal alongside scent. During the 1920s, Parfums Edouardo launched a range of fragrances that reflected the era’s fascination with elegance, modernity, and novelty, appealing to a clientele drawn to both luxury and artistic distinction.

Beyond perfumes, Parfums Edouardo developed a diverse and distinctive product line that included soaps, powders, cosmetics, and perfumery novelties. These items were produced and packaged at the Grasse establishment, ensuring stylistic and olfactory cohesion across the range. The emphasis on “novelties” suggests imaginative presentation and decorative packaging, hallmarks of interwar perfumery marketing. Taken together, Edouardo’s American artistic leadership and French manufacturing base positioned the company as a sophisticated hybrid—uniting New World creativity with Old World perfume tradition.

The perfumes of Parfums Edouardo:

• 1925 Bag Dabs (solid perfume in bakelite cases)
• 1925 Bouvardia (Prochaska)
• 1925 Air d'Ambré
• 1925 Atakor
• 1925 Bul Bul (Prochaska)
• 1925 Orchidia
• 1925 Orys
• 1925 Daphne
• 1925 Folie de Cœur
• 1925 Bag Dabs solid perfumes
• 1925 Lakme
• 1925 Narcissus
• 1925 Jasmin
• 1925 Orange Blossom
• 1925 Rose
• 1926 Blue Line
• 1926 Nuit Divine
• 1926 Watch Case Flower
• 1926 Lotus Flacons
• 1927 Egyptian Alabastron
• 1927 Lotus
• 1928 Double Lotus
• 1928 Lilas de Paques
• 1928 Coffret

Throughout the mid-1920s, Parfums Edouardo released a remarkably broad and imaginative portfolio of fragrances and scented novelties. Many of the names draw on French, classical, floral, and exotic references—each carefully chosen to suggest mood, refinement, or fantasy. Below is a descriptive overview of these perfumes, with translations, pronunciations, launch years, and likely olfactory character inferred from their names and period conventions.

In 1925, Edouardo introduced Bag Dabs, a solid perfume presented in galalith cases—an early plastic prized for its smooth, ivory-like appearance. Designed for portability, Bag Dabs were likely lightly scented, intimate florals or soft orientals meant for discreet application. The same year saw Bouvardia (pronounced boo-var-dee-ah), named after the flowering plant. This perfume, originally sold under the Prochaska name, likely featured a delicate white-floral profile—possibly jasmine-like with soft green nuances. Air d’Ambré (ehr dahm-bray, meaning “Amber Air”) suggests a warm, resinous fragrance with ambergris, vanilla, and balsamic notes, fashionable and sensual for the time.

Also launched in 1925, Atakor takes its name from the Atakor massif in North Africa, evoking desert landscapes and exoticism. It likely leaned toward dry woods, spices, and amber. Bul Bul (from bulbul, a songbird in Persian and South Asian poetry) suggests a lyrical, romantic floral—perhaps rose or jasmine—again originally under the Prochaska name. Orchidia implies an orchid-inspired fantasy floral: creamy, slightly exotic, and elegant. Orys (from orris, iris root) almost certainly highlighted powdery iris and violet notes, refined and cosmetic in character. Daphne, named for the laurel tree and the nymph of Greek myth, likely featured green, floral, and lightly woody facets. Folie de Cœur (foh-lee duh kur, meaning “Madness of the Heart”) suggests a passionate, romantic composition—probably a lush floral bouquet with warm undertones.

Also in 1925, Edouardo released a series of more literal floral soliflores. Lakmé, named after the opera by Delibes, evokes Orientalist fantasy and may have featured jasmine and spices. Narcissus likely emphasized narcissus or jonquil—green, indolic, and springlike. Jasmin, Orange Blossom, and Rose were straightforward floral interpretations, each focusing on a single prized note rendered in the elegant French style. These would have been classic, feminine perfumes suitable for daily wear.

In 1926, Edouardo expanded into more abstract and decorative concepts. Blue Line suggests modernity and possibly a fresh, aldehydic or fougère-leaning scent—cool, clean, and contemporary. Nuit Divine (nwee dee-veen, “Divine Night”) implies a rich evening perfume, likely built around florals, ambergris, and soft woods. Watch Case Flower hints at a novelty presentation—perhaps a compact or hidden floral scent—while Lotus Flacons suggests perfumed objects or bottles inspired by the lotus flower, symbolizing purity and the Orient, likely paired with soft florals and watery or powdery notes.

By 1927, Edouardo leaned further into historic and exotic imagery. Egyptian Alabastron refers to ancient Egyptian stone perfume vessels; the name suggests a deep, resinous, incense-tinged fragrance with myrrh, spices, or ambergris. Lotus, released the same year, would have continued the theme of serenity and exotic floral elegance, possibly lighter and more meditative than earlier Orientals.

In 1928, the company introduced Double Lotus, likely a richer or more concentrated evolution of the earlier Lotus theme. Lilas de Pâques (lee-lah duh pahk, “Easter Lilac”) evokes springtime freshness—soft lilac, green notes, and a powdery floral heart associated with renewal and lightness. Finally, Coffret (koh-fray, meaning “box” or “casket”) suggests a luxury gift set rather than a single scent, likely containing coordinated perfumery items presented as an elegant ensemble.

Taken together, the Parfums Edouardo range reflects the spirit of the 1920s perfume industry: a balance of classic florals, romantic emotion, exotic fantasy, and novelty presentation. While many scents followed established trends, the breadth and poetic naming reveal a brand deeply invested in storytelling, artistry, and the sensual imagination of the interwar years.

 Egyptian Alabastron by Edouardo: launched  in 1927: rare Baccarat bottle in clear crystal with enameled and molded detail, lotus stopper with blue patina. Modeled after an ancient bottle in the collection of Enrico Caruso. Bottle stands 4” tall, stenciled Baccarat. Photo from Rago Arts.

Nuit Divine and Lilas de Paques by Edouardo: introduced in 1928, bottles made of Baccarat crystal and decorated with stylized lotus flowers, with a lotus shaped stopper. These bottles were produced for a Christmas edition for the perfumes. Photos from Lombrail-Teucquam.

Bag Dabs:

Parfums Edouardo also distinguished itself in the 1920s through the successful introduction of solid perfumes marketed as “Bag-Dabs from the French Riviera.” These compact perfumes were housed in galalith or bakelite pots—early synthetic materials prized for being smooth, durable, and non-porous. Unlike fragile glass flacons, Bag-Dabs were explicitly designed for modern, mobile women, offering a practical yet elegant solution for carrying fragrance in a handbag. Contemporary advertising emphasized their reliability: they would not evaporate, turn rancid, or spill, making them especially appealing as everyday accessories and thoughtful gifts.

Period advertisements reveal how cleverly Edouardo positioned Bag-Dabs as both fashionable and functional. One notice proclaimed, “Smart women carry bag-dabs—do you?” underscoring their status as the latest French perfumery novelty, imported directly from France. Marketed as an ideal present—particularly for mothers—the solid perfumes were offered in four familiar and well-loved floral fragrances: Narcissus, Lakmé, Jasmin, and Orange Blossom. Available in two sizes and priced modestly between $1.25 and $1.75, they were accessible luxuries that balanced refinement with affordability.

Another advertisement praised Bag-Dabs as a long-awaited innovation: “Satisfactory solid scent at last! The season’s successful novelty.” The galalith containers were described as hand-painted, unbreakable, and explicitly “not celluloid,” emphasizing their superior quality and safety. Edouardo highlighted that these solid perfumes were produced at their factory in Grasse, reinforcing their authenticity and connection to traditional French perfumery. The brand presented Bag-Dabs as exactly what perfumers had long sought to perfect and what women desired—a dainty, lasting perfume that traveled safely and elegantly.

Color coding played an important role in the presentation. Each fragrance was identified by the color of its container: Narcissus in blue, Jasmin in green, Lakmé in red, Orange Blossom in amber, and Rose in pink. This system made the scents instantly recognizable and added visual charm, enhancing their appeal as collectible objects. Edouardo further encouraged creativity by offering Bag-Dabs in sets of three different odors, suggesting that a “dab from each makes an individual blend.” This idea of personal blending was forward-thinking, allowing women to customize their scent according to mood or occasion.

Advertising also emphasized that Bag-Dabs liberated perfume from the dressing table. Women no longer needed to leave their favorite fragrance at home; it could now be carried discreetly and safely throughout the day. Imported and sold nationwide in better shops under the name “Edouardo’s Bag-Dabs,” both the perfume and its decorative containers were made in France, reinforcing the brand’s luxury credentials. Customers were urged to ask for Bag-Dabs by name, signaling strong brand recognition.

The popularity of Bag-Dabs extended into later offerings such as Lilas de Pâques, which was also bottled and sealed in France and marketed as exclusively an Edouardo product. Advertisements reassured existing users that this new fragrance would meet the same standards of quality and presentation, with beautifully hand-painted containers imported from France. By early 1926, Parfums Edouardo was recognized as one of the first companies to successfully introduce solid perfume to the American market. Though solid scent itself was not new, Edouardo’s refinement of the concept—through elegant packaging, reliable formulation, and fashionable marketing—made Bag-Dabs a defining novelty of the era.

Bag Dabs in wooden box, photo from worthpoint