John Wanamaker was one of the great pioneers of modern retailing in the United States and a figure whose influence extended far beyond the world of department stores. Born in 1838 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wanamaker began his career modestly as a merchant’s apprentice before founding his own business in the years following the American Civil War. In 1876 he opened what became known as Wanamaker’s Department Store, widely considered the first true department store in Philadelphia and among the earliest of its kind in the United States. Wanamaker revolutionized retail practices that today seem commonplace: he introduced clearly marked fixed prices rather than bargaining, offered money-back guarantees, pioneered large-scale newspaper advertising, and created beautifully arranged display windows designed to draw customers into the store. His Philadelphia flagship, housed in a vast and opulent building on Market Street, became famous not only for its merchandise but also for its grand architecture, including the massive Wanamaker Organ—still the largest functioning pipe organ in the world.
At the height of its success in the early twentieth century, Wanamaker’s empire included two enormous flagship stores: the original Philadelphia location and a monumental store in New York City at Broadway and Tenth Street, which opened in 1896 in the former A. T. Stewart “Marble Palace.” These stores were not merely places to shop but cultural institutions, employing thousands of workers and offering customers an experience that blended commerce with luxury and entertainment. Within these elegant retail spaces, Wanamaker established specialized departments devoted to imported goods from Europe, including the celebrated French Shops, where perfumes, powders, and cosmetics from Parisian houses were sold alongside the world’s most prestigious fragrances. Like several department store magnates of the era, Wanamaker also introduced perfumes sold under his own name or through exclusive partnerships, allowing customers to purchase scents unavailable anywhere else in America.
One such exclusive partnership began in 1910, when Wanamaker installed a French perfume house inside the New York store called Parfumerie Claire. This firm produced fragrances that were sold solely through Wanamaker’s stores, giving the department store a distinctive identity in the competitive world of luxury goods. The company released four perfumes: Ge-Ge, Bouquet d’Armenonville, Violette de Paris, and Yu-Yu. Each fragrance was accompanied by a full range of related products typical of early twentieth-century perfumery, including perfumed face powders, sachets, toilet waters, and decorative powder puffs. Among these scents, Violette de Paris became the most successful, celebrated for its romantic interpretation of the violet flower—a note that was immensely fashionable in the Belle Époque and early Edwardian periods.
Period advertisements reveal how these perfumes were marketed to customers. A 1912 advertisement described the quartet in evocative language designed to transport shoppers to fragrant gardens and exotic lands: Ge-Ge was compared to the lush sweetness of gardenia blossoms; Bouquet d’Armenonville promised the sensation of “a whole garden full of fragrance”; Violette de Paris captured the delicate perfume of sweet violets; and Yu-Yu was characterized as something mysterious and slightly oriental, appealing to the early twentieth-century fascination with exotic perfumes. Another advertisement from 1913 elaborated on the success of Violette de Paris, noting that the fragrance captured not merely the sugary sweetness associated with violets but also the fresh, woody character of the flower itself, evoking the sensation of burying one’s face in a cluster of richly scented Parma violets. A two-ounce bottle sold for $3.50—a considerable price at the time, underscoring the perfume’s luxury status.
The perfume Ge-Ge, described in a 1911 advertisement, was presented as a distinctive Parisian novelty that evoked the lush scent of gardenia blossoms—“insistent, haunting one with its sweetness.” Wanamaker emphasized that this fragrance could not be found elsewhere in America, reinforcing the allure of exclusivity that department stores often cultivated to distinguish themselves from competitors. Customers could purchase the perfume as an extract for $5 per bottle, as a toilet water for $4, or as a perfumed powder for $1.75. These products were displayed in Wanamaker’s elegant French perfume department alongside the other Claire fragrances, allowing shoppers to explore a curated selection of Parisian-inspired scents.
The success of Parfumerie Claire was significant enough that Wanamaker later defended the name legally. In 1929, he filed a lawsuit against another company called Claire Parfumer Inc., accusing it of copyright infringement because the similarity of the names could confuse customers and dilute the identity of his exclusive perfume line. This legal action illustrates how seriously department stores protected their proprietary brands during an era when private-label fragrances were an important part of retail identity.
Today, the perfumes created for Wanamaker’s Parfumerie Claire are extremely difficult to find. Like many early twentieth-century department store fragrances, they were produced in limited quantities and were rarely preserved after their fashionable moment had passed. Surviving bottles occasionally appear in collections or auctions, where they command modest premiums due to their rarity and historical association with one of America’s most influential retailers. Although Wanamaker’s department store chain eventually declined—being absorbed into Hecht’s (now Macy’s) in 1995 after decades of retail transformation—the memory of its exclusive perfumes remains a fascinating chapter in the history of American perfumery and department store culture.
Queen Mary Toiletry line
The Wanamaker store in Wilmington, Delaware was once home to one of the most unusual attractions ever installed in a department store perfume department: a perfume-scented “dancing water fountain.” Known as the Dancing Waters™ Enchanted Fountain, the installation was both a spectacle and a clever piece of retail theater designed to captivate shoppers as they entered the grand store interior. When the fountain was operating, jets of water leapt and swayed in rhythmic patterns, illuminated by colored lights that transformed the streams into shimmering ribbons of red, blue, and gold. What made the display particularly memorable was the faint fragrance released into the surrounding air. As the water moved and atomized into a fine mist, it carried with it subtle perfume notes that drifted through the balcony area, creating a sensory experience that blended light, movement, music, and scent.
The engineering of the fountain was surprisingly simple yet daring. Rather than relying on a permanent tank, the system used roughly 3,000 gallons of water, which were contained within a makeshift reservoir created by laying a heavy rubber sheet across the orchestra pit of the balcony. This sheet acted as a liner, effectively turning the recessed pit into a temporary basin that could hold the water required for the elaborate display. Considering the large volume involved, it is remarkable that the rubber lining never developed a leak during its many years of use. The fountain was often presented alongside a Fountain-and-Colored-Light Show staged on the balcony in front of the store’s magnificent pipe organ, turning the space into something resembling a theatrical stage where water, music, and light performed together for delighted shoppers below.
Over time, however, the spectacle gradually faded into history. By the turn of the twenty-first century the system had become too outdated to maintain safely. Plans to restore the fountain show were ultimately abandoned because modern safety standards would require a complete redesign of the installation. The proximity of water to electrical equipment—including the low-lying lights and plug-in power strips used to illuminate the organ case—posed significant risks. Additionally, when Macy’s later installed a larger Christmas tree in the space, the expanded width of the tree further complicated any attempt to reintroduce the fountain display. As a result, the once-famous scented water show was quietly retired, leaving only memories and photographs of what had been a unique blend of engineering, fragrance, and theatrical spectacle within a department store setting.
Perfume itself was an important part of the Wanamaker retail experience, and contemporary advertisements reveal how enthusiastically the store promoted its fragrances. One such description praised Alfred Stuart, a perfume regarded as exceptionally enduring and richly scented. According to the advertisement, it was “probably the most lasting of all the agreeable perfumes,” so vibrant and full of character that few imported fragrances could rival it. Its scent was described as rich, powerful, and lively—qualities that made it appealing to a broad audience. Another popular fragrance sold at the store was Wild Olive, noted for its remarkable strength and longevity. Though the exact botanical inspiration behind the name is uncertain, the perfume likely evoked a warm, slightly green floral character reminiscent of Mediterranean blossoms.
Other scents offered a softer and more delicate appeal. White Rose, for example, was described as refined yet lasting, capturing the gentle sweetness and airy elegance of pale rose petals. Wanamaker’s perfume counters also stocked fragrances from many of the most respected European perfumers of the era, including the celebrated houses of Lubin, Guerlain, Isabey, Atkinson, and Coudray, each known for producing luxurious French-style perfumes and toiletries. Customers were encouraged to explore these scents in an intimate and personal way: visitors were invited to bring a handkerchief, upon which a clerk would place a drop of whichever perfume they wished to sample. This simple gesture allowed shoppers to carry the fragrance with them throughout the day, experiencing how the scent evolved on fabric and skin—a small ritual that captured the leisurely, sensory pleasure of shopping in a grand department store during its golden age.
The perfumes of John Wanamaker:
- 1881 The Queen Mary (a line)
- 1883 Cartwright
- 1910 Claire (a line)
- 1910 Fleur D'Or
- 1910 Oree
- 1910 Ariane
- 1910 Bouquet d'Armenonville
- 1910 Reine Marie
- 1910 Violette de Paris
- 1910 Yu Yu
- 1917 Charme d'Amour
- 1921 Fleurs Celeste
- 1923 Le Beau Narcisse
- 1923 Papillion
- 1923 Coin de Paris
- 1925 Violette de Paris ( a line)
- 1926 C'est Paris
- 1926 No. 5
- 1926 La Cocquette
- 1927 Mayfair Tudor Rose
- 1930 Bouquet de Orient
- 1932 Phytallia
- 1935 Carnation
- 1935 Gardenia
- 1935 Geranium
- 1935 Lily of the Valley
- 1935 Sandalwood
- 1935 Verveine
- 1935 Lotus of Luxor
- 1935 Lido
- 1935 Melisande
- 1935 Heures d’Absence
- 1935 Tribout
- 1935 Fleur de Lis
- 1946 C’est Paris
I am sure there are more, but I haven't discovered them yet.
John Wanamaker also had a secondary perfume company called Wahna, that also sold Wahna Wonderful Cold Cream, Wahna Skin Cream, Wahna Directoire Extract, Wahna Directoire Water, Creme Wahna.
Here are the perfumes sold under the Wahna name:
- 1909 Ma Mie
- 1909 Eau de Cologne
- 1909 Melisande (trademarked filed in 1921 for the name)
- 1909 Fleur de Lis
Wanamaker also was associated with the London based Parfumerie Redleaf and their perfumes were sold in the Wanamaker stores.
The perfumes of Redleaf:
- 1923 Redleaf English Lavender
- 1923 Redleaf English Garden Flowers
- 1923 Redleaf Devon Violets
photos used in this guide courtesy of:
Passion for Perfume
worthpoint