In the second half of the 19th century, not only medicines could be purchased at the pharmacy, but also soap, tooth powder, face powder, bleaching creams, hair growth products, as well as perfumes, and aromatic waters. One of the exhibits of the ‘Old Tula Pharmacy’ is a closed four-sided bottle where perfume water was stored. On one of the sides, one can see an embossed inscription: Frederic Puls Varsovie Paris — the brand name of the manufacturer, the Warsaw perfume factory ‘F. Puls’. The bottle was made in the late 19th — early 20th century. A copy of the label with the inscription and the name of the perfume ‘Bouquet of the Empress’ in French is pasted on it, the original label is stored in the museum funds.
‘Bouquet of the Empress’ perfume was created by the founder of the legendary perfume company ‘Brocard & Co’ Heinrich Brocard in the 70s of the 19th century. They say that it echoed the scent of a flower bouquet that Brocard presented to the daughter of Alexander II, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. The bouquet was made of fragrant wax, and each flower had its own unique smell.
Later, in 1913, when Russia celebrated the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, most entrepreneurs released special merchandise for this occasion.
The leaders of the ‘Brocard and Co’ partnership also joined this movement, recollecting the story about the fragrant bouquet once presented to the Grand Duchess. The perfumer Auguste Michel, who worked with the founder of the company, was assigned to recreate and modernize the smell of the ‘Bouquet of the Empress’ in time for the start of the celebrations.
But in fact, Auguste Michel created a new fragrance: the perfume, in addition to several dozen floral components, included aldehydes — newly invented synthetic substances that gave them an incomparable aroma. This time, the perfume was presented to the mother of Nicholas II, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. She was delighted with the new fragrance and gave permission to call the perfume ‘The Favorite bouquet of the Empress’. The royal-looking perfume box was decorated with expensive red silk. A portrait of Catherine II was put on the label of the bottle of the ‘Favorite Bouquet of the Empress’, because Maria Feodorovna, according to the testimony of her confidants, considered it immodest to place her own portrait on it. In the same year, 1913, Michel’s company “Heinrich Brocard” was awarded the title “Supplier of His Imperial Majesty”s Court”.
After the revolution, the company “Brocard and Co” was handed over to the state and called “New Dawn”. It is assumed that the production of the fragrance “Favorite Bouquet of the Empress” at the factory was resumed in 1925 under the name “Red Moscow”.
