7.01.2009

Hystory of perfume: England



Perfume was at the highest peak in England during the time of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth 1. Queen Elizabeth could not tolerate any bad smells and it was requested that all places she resided at, visited where scented at all times.

1 comment:

Thoth Hermes said...

"...that all places she resided at, visited where scented at all times."

I wonder what perfumes they had available back then? I know Queen Liz liked ambergris, civet and musk, but these are all a bit, well, frankly 'animal'; a bit "on the nose" so-to-speak (with maybe the exception of ambergris which I personally LOVE!)

I guess they could have strewn herbs like lavender and rosemary, etc, but I wonder what actual fragrance compounds they had, if any? I don't think the distillation of essential oils had been discovered in Elizabethan times, so I wonder what they used?

New Perfume Blogs