Perfume Advertising in the Art Nouveau Period
- Maja Kinle
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
My work is devoted to perfume advertising in the Art Nouveau period. The aesthetics of this movement remain close to many creators to this day. It continues to attract admirers because of its beauty. Perfume advertising is a fascinating subject. Designed to encourage purchase, arouse curiosity, and evoke associations with luxury, these designs, through their uniqueness, became something more than information about a product. They became art.
Art Nouveau was a movement that flourished around 1890–1910. Its precursors included the Pre-Raphaelites and the theorists John Ruskin and William Morris, whose ideas concerned functional and mass art. The most important inspirations emerged in England, where the industrial mass production of everyday objects was rejected. Ruskin supported a new aesthetics and a new ethics of work. For him, art constituted a kind of social and political obligation. He was closely associated with a group of English artists known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, whose leading representatives, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris, sought artistic models in Italian art preceding the work of Raphael. They were involved in artistic craftsmanship and worked both as painters and as creators of applied art.
At that time, Art Nouveau spread across Europe and North America. It was the last great artistic movement to emerge at roughly the same time, independently of one another, in different European centres. It developed above all in cities such as Glasgow, Brussels, Paris, Nancy, Munich, Darmstadt, and Vienna. Barcelona, New York, Chicago, Italy, Russia, Poland, the Czech lands, and Scandinavia also played their part.
It also emerged as a pan-European movement of protest against industrial mass production and the barbarisation of artistic taste. Art Nouveau is most often associated with ornaments in the form of vines, lilies, exotic flowers, and popular plant motifs. The motif of swans floating on waves and the figure of a woman with flowing hair also appear frequently. Characteristic features of this style include fluid, flexible lines, flatness, simplified forms, and functionality.
During this period, artistic craftsmanship gained a new status. The traditional division between the fine arts and applied art was abandoned. The space surrounding human beings, as well as everyday objects, acquired a new artistic form in addition to their basic functions. Life became a sensory experience in which refinement and elegance were meant to predominate.
The development of Art Nouveau was accompanied by such phenomena as the beginnings of mass culture, the emergence of popular art, and the rise of media. Poster art developed, using flat areas and linear arrangements as compositional means. The strong emphasis on flatness and the dynamic relationship between a clear line and colour accents influenced its development, as did the appearance of advertising from the mid-nineteenth century onward.
The Work of Alphonse Mucha
A famous artist of this period was Alphonse Mucha. He lived from 1860 to 1939. He worked in painting and in the design of everyday objects such as posters, invitations, menus, leaflets, calendars, packaging, theatrical decorations, jewellery, and interiors. In keeping with the ideas of the age, he sought to realise the concept of the unity of the arts and the total work of art, according to which all fields of art, such as painting, architecture, and artistic craftsmanship, were to form a single whole, giving aesthetic form to the human environment.
This artist came from the Czech lands, although he spent half of his life in Paris. His career gained momentum when he created a lithographic poster for the production of Gismonda, starring Sarah Bernhardt, a popular actress of the period. He achieved enormous success by proposing a different aesthetic. This work stood out through its long, narrow format. The figure of the heroine became statuesque and idealised. She is dressed in a white gown and a golden cloak decorated with rich ornaments. She wears a floral wreath on her head and holds a palm leaf in her hand.
She radiates calm and dignity. At the top, she is surrounded like a halo by an inscription composed of her first and last name. Instead of the then-fashionable inspiration drawn from Japanese culture, Mucha turned toward sacred art. A delicate line, rich ornament, and flat planes of colour recall mosaics and stained glass.
Alfons Mucha, Gismonda, 1984
The actress shown in the poster was made to resemble a saint. The artist broke with the prevailing practice of using bright primary colours and turned instead toward a pastel palette. The vision he created of her figure corresponded to her stage image. Sarah Bernhardt was very pleased with the poster. She was shown in the way she wanted to be perceived. Mucha depicted her in many other works as well. He became famous.
It happened that his posters were torn down by people who wanted to keep them for themselves. His style found numerous followers, and his talent was noticed by the advertising industry.
In the following years, Mucha continued to use the scheme of Gismonda. The motif he used most often was the figure of a beautiful young woman with flowing hair, surrounded by flowers. In this aesthetic, he created the advertisement for Lance Parfum “Rodo” in 1986. The artist depicted a fair-haired model scenting a white handkerchief. Beside her is a box with glass atomisers. At the top, he placed a decorative inscription with the name of the product. The poster also contains information about the unique qualities of the perfume packaging.
He used an attractive form for this purpose. The background of the composition resembles a mosaic rosette with floral motifs. The figure, her hair, and her clothing are rendered decoratively. The advertisement is maintained in a subdued colour palette. All the elements create an impression of richness, splendour, and luxury.
Alfons Mucha, Lance Parfum „Rodo” 1896r.
His later advertisements also have a fairy-tale atmosphere. They show a statuesque, idealised female figure. A rosette richly decorated with flowers is intended to refer to the floral fragrance. Symbolism was important to this artist. He liked to introduce it into his works. The whole creates an elevated mood. It is based on a carefully considered compositional arrangement. Mucha divided the posters as though into three parts.
The central part shows the figure of a woman standing frontally with her head tilted, often with a rosette element, while the lower and upper parts contain inscriptions. The delicate pastel colours of the garments contrast with the rich, floral ornament. The two advertisements by Alphonse Mucha below present a similar arrangement. The 1899 advertisement for Sylvanis Essence perfume shows, in addition to the figure, a perfume bottle. The advertisement for the Bleuze-Hadancourt perfumery, by contrast, shows a woman holding a perfume bottle.
Alfons Mucha, reklama perfum Sylvanis Esse, 1899 r.
Alfons Mucha, reklama perfum Bleuze, Hadancourt, 1900
Alfons Mucha, Coryn Paris Perfumerie Moderne, 1898 r.
In the advertisement for the Coryn company, which produced the Parfumerie Moderne series of cosmetics, Mucha refers to an illustration published in 1897 in L’Estampe moderne, inspired by the content of Gustave Flaubert’s scandalous novel Salammbô. The action takes place in ancient Carthage, fighting against barbarian mercenaries. The main heroine tries to recover the sacred veil that would protect the city from disaster. She calls upon Tanit for help. Her plea is heard, but Salammbô dies. The scene depicts the invocation of the goddess.
She is lured by singing, harp music, and fragrances. The deity appears among the stars, wearing a crown of peacock feathers. The exotic atmosphere of this illustration appealed so strongly to the Coryn company that it decided to use it as a perfume advertisement [1].
Alfons Mucha, Parfumerie Oriza, 1901 r.
The advertisement for the Oriza perfumery depicts a figure holding roses in one hand and a leafy branch in the other, both meant to symbolise fragrances. She is surrounded by a rich floral ornament associated with sacred art. Here we can see the rounded form characteristic of Mucha, into which the plants are arranged. The typography is decorative and undulating. All of this forms a coherent whole. The delicate colours create harmony, while gold evokes wealth. The poster is pervaded by an atmosphere of splendour.
The figure seems somewhat absent, immersed in the world of fragrances. Alphonse Mucha’s advertisements reveal the elegance characteristic of Art Nouveau.
The Advertisements of Jules Chéret and Other Creators
Another popular artist who created perfume advertisements was Jules Chéret, who lived from 1836 to 1932. He was a French painter and graphic artist. He combined Art Nouveau with more commercial elements. Chéret used livelier colours. His drawings were dynamic. He trained in a lithographic workshop in London. He designed posters and book covers. He created packaging for the perfumes of Eugène Rimmel, thanks to which he was able to open his own graphic design company. This allowed him to preserve his own approach to design.
He used energetic brushstrokes, hatching, stippling, blurring, and flat colours in order to achieve dynamism in the image. He was influenced by the Rococo period. He particularly admired artists such as Antoine Watteau, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. His works were also influenced by Japanese woodcuts, characterised by patches of colour and outlines. Jules Chéret was a very popular creator in his time. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of modern poster art.
Jules Cheret, Eugène Rimmel
Jules Cheret, Parfumerie– Savonnerie, ok 1880-1890 r.
The advertisement for Parfumerie–Savonnerie depicts an allegorical female figure together with putti. The woman shown symbolises beauty, the state offered by the brand after using its perfume. Art Nouveau introduced aestheticisation into advertising. The product was meant to sell emotions and a lifestyle.
In the centre below appears the large address of the Gellé Frères perfumery: 35 rue d’Argout, Paris. This place was meant to promise the viewer prestige, joy, and aesthetic experiences. The poster is highly decorative. It could resemble the signboard of a luxury brand. Rococo inspirations are visible in it: lightness, asymmetry, decorativeness, and a bright pastel palette.
Another advertisement, for Parfumerie Violet – Savon Royal de Thridace, is very official and heraldic. In the centre there is a large inscription with the name of the perfumery. Authority, prestige, and credibility are shown here through coats of arms and symbols of power. The four listed cities — Paris, London, New York, and Saint Petersburg — are intended to indicate a luxury brand with a wide reach, recognised throughout the world. The information that the company was an official supplier to the imperial court was meant to increase its authority. The whole resembles a label or a certificate of quality.
The floral motifs are meant to refer to fragrance. This advertisement also contains a reference to antiquity and the Renaissance through the profile of a woman in a medallion. The emblem with a bee is intended to symbolise quality and tradition. It was popular in Napoleonic heraldry.
Jules Cheret, Parfumerie Violet – Savon Royal de Thridace, 1880-1890 r.
Jules Cheret, Parfumerie Violet, 1880-1890 r.
Jules Chéret’s style changed over time. In 1987, he designed an advertisement for Iris Villa perfumes produced by Parfumerie-Distillerie Monaco, whose style differs somewhat from the previous advertisements. In the centre there is the figure of a woman in motion. She is meant to signify joy. Her clothing is flowing. With one arm she embraces a bouquet of flowers. At the bottom there are irises. Chéret presented a visual metaphor of fragrance: the sensation that was supposed to accompany the use of these perfumes. The artist abandoned a realistic depiction of the product.
He also did not use a frame, in order to convey greater dynamism and lightness. The decorative typography was rounded into an arch characteristic of Art Nouveau. In some places, the inscriptions and the illustration overlap. Although the advertisement was designed in a slightly different style, it also conveys the character of the period.
Jules Cheret, Parfumerie-Distillerie Monaco – Iris Villa – Monte-Carlo, 1897 r.
Another popular illustrator and advertising creator was Pal. His real name was Jean de Paléologu. He was a Romanian aristocrat working in Paris. He lived from 1855 to 1942. His poster presents an advertisement for Parfums des Femmes de France. It is much more direct. A woman holds a perfume bottle in her hand and looks boldly toward the viewer. Her pose is daring. The artist used vivid colours and strong contrasts: yellow with violet, red with green.
The French text Oh! quel parfum exquis que cette Violette Reine means: “Oh! what an exquisite fragrance, this royal violet.” This flower was very fashionable at the time and was identified with femininity. The poster sells perfume together with a lifestyle: Parisian elegance, seduction, and the modern woman.
Pal, Parfums des Femmes de France, 1900-1905 r.
Perfume advertisements from this period were true works of art. Alphonse Mucha’s style was highly decorative, carefully considered, and full of symbolism. Elegant lines, pastel colours, rich ornaments, lush vegetation, and the idealised female figure create the combination of splendour and sentimentalism characteristic of Art Nouveau. Jules Chéret’s early advertisements introduced the viewer into a world of luxury, transporting them into the Rococo style, while his later works built, in a subtle and joyful way, a certain metaphor, a story about fragrance.
The advertisements created in this era are highly interesting. Illustrative and enriched with elaborate typography, today they might no longer give the impression of a sales message. The presentation of advertising has changed considerably; nevertheless, because of its beauty, the Art Nouveau style has become timeless and continues to inspire many creators.
Notes
[1] Luba Ristujczina, Alfons Mucha, Wydawnictwo SBM, Warsaw, p. 74.
Bibliography
Luba Ristujczina, Alfons Mucha, Wydawnictwo SBM, 2025.
Karin Sagner, Secesja, Świat Książki, 2007.
Joanna Babiarz, Skarby Malarstwa, Wydawnictwo SBM, 2012.
