Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Three Flowers by Richard Hudnut c1915

Three Flowers was launched in 1915 by the American perfumer, Richard Hudnut.  Three Flowers was also known as Tres Flores in Spanish speaking countries.


Three Flowers was a complete line of toiletries and by 1964 the fragrance was available in perfume, cologne, brilliantine in both liquid and solid, after bath dusting powder, face powder, talcum powder, cream hair dressing and conditioner, cleansing cold cream, vanishing cream, tissue cream, lipstick, rouge, and cream.

The Three Flowers brilliantine was described as a "luxurious liquid that leaves hair elegantly silken, soft-scented, sparkling."

The perfume with its accord built around three main flowers: lily, rose and violet, was no doubt inspired by an 1898 poem by Reuben Moore titled "To the Daughter of the Regiment."
Whene'er I look into thy face, 
Three flowers I see in one fair view; 
Each emblem of angelic grace.
Whene'er I look into thy face garden plot I trace, 
The sweetest flowers that ever grew, 
Whene'er I look into thy face 
Three flowers I see in one fair view.
 
Whene'er I look upon thy mouth 
I there see dewy rosebuds ope,
As when they sense the warm, sweet south 
Whene'er I look upon thy mouth, 
Where roses never know a drouth, 
The world seems all aglow with hope. 
Whene'er I look upon thy mouth 
I there see dewy rosebuds ope.

Whene'er I look upon thy cheek 
I there see lilies blossoming, 
As when the springtime sun they seek. 
Whene'er I look upon thy cheek 
Unto my heart the lilies meek 
A song of Easter softly sing. 
Whene'er I look upon thy cheek 
I there see lilies blossoming. 

Whene'er I look into thine eyes 
I there see violets a-bloom, 
As deeply blue as April skies. 
Whene'er I look into thine eyes 
I see a soul without disguise, 
Whose every thought is sweet perfume. 
Whene'er I look into thine eyes 
I there see violets a-bloom. 

In thy sweet face these flowers I see, 
The lily rose and violet; 
Of all the flowers the sweetest three. 
In thy sweet face the flowers I see 
Of Faith and Hope and Charity; 
Their tints are on our banner set. 
In thy sweet face these flowers I see,
The lily, rose, and violet. 


Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It was classified as a floral bouquet fragrance for women. Its accord was built around three main flowers: lily, rose and violet. Other essences were added to round out the bouquet, but I do not have all of them recorded. I need a sample to analyze to see what I can detect via odor.
  • Top notes: lily, bergamot
  • Heart notes: rose
  • Base notes: violet

It was described in an early advertisement as:

"A powder Bouquet of SCENTED BEAUTY: Roses for ROMANCE, Violets for CHARM, Lilies of the Valley for YOUTH."


 


The bottle is made up of clear glass with a ground glass stopper is partially frosted with a polished "window" in the center. The back of the bottle is molded with "Contents 3 fl oz.". The bottle sports a thin gilded brass metal label decorated with ornate embossing and applied patina, made by the Stanley Mfg Company who specialized in these high quality seals. ​The bottle stands 6.25" tall x 2.5" wide long x 1" thick. There are no markings on the bottle, but I believe it is American made as many of Hudnut's bottles were made by Swindell Brothers.










Fate of the Fragrance:


Three Flowers has been discontinued since the early 1970s. Today you can only find vintage concentrations, mostly cologne, face powder and brilliantine. The perfume is a bit more harder to find.





1 comment:

  1. Richard Hudnut Brilliantine is said to also contain bergamot. But I read your blog and bought all three of the three flowers' essential oils and made a R. Hudnut knock-off. But something was missing. So I added bergamot oil and, lol, it was indistinguishable from the expensive 1920 bottle of R. Hudnut Three Flower's perfume I bought on ebay! The bergamot is what ties the three flowers together and makes it so so dope.

    ReplyDelete