The Art of Perfumery, and Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants: With Instructions for the Manufacture of Perfumes for the Handkerchief, Scented Powders, Odorous Vinegars, Dentifrices, Pomatums, Cosmetics, Perfumed Soap, Etc., to which is Added an Appendix on Preparing Artificial Fruit-Essences, Etc

In Short

This foundational nineteenth-century manual demystifies the trade of the perfumer by systematically outlining the science, geography, and exact formulas needed to extract floral scents. G. W. Septimus Piesse details traditional methods like enfleurage and maceration, explores essential oils from across the globe, and provides explicit recipes for handkerchief extracts, soaps, and cosmetics. He bridges historical practice with emerging chemical innovations, arguing passionately for the health benefits and refined artistry of a well-tutored sense of smell. The book remains a landmark work because it transformed a guarded trade into an accessible, rigorous scientific discipline.

The Story

The volume opens with a philosophical defense of the sense of smell. Piesse argues that while society systematically trains the eyes and ears to appreciate art and music, it leaves the olfactory system entirely uncultivated. This neglect leads people to tolerate polluted air, whereas those who refine their sense of smell naturally guard their physical health. Moving from theory to geographical reality, the text outlines how the world’s climates yield different aromatic qualities. Tropical latitudes produce prolific quantities of oil, but cooler northern regions yield the sweetest notes. Piesse details how Grasse and Nice serve as the center of European perfumery due to their proximity to both warm coastlines and cool alpine foothill environments, while English lavender from Mitcham commands premium prices globally.

The treatise then pivots to the practical mechanics of extraction within the laboratory. Piesse classifies plant parts by where their aromatic principles reside, noting that trees like the orange yield multiple distinct essences from their leaves, blossoms, and fruit rinds. He systematically presents the four core methods of harvesting scent: expression, distillation, maceration, and cold absorption or enfleurage. The reader learns how fresh blossoms are pressed into fats spread over glass plates to capture delicate, highly volatile top notes that would be ruined by heat.

Building upon these foundational extraction processes, Piesse supplies a vast, highly specific catalog of raw materials and compound recipes. He moves from simple botanical tinctures—such as patchouli, vanilla, tuberose, and tonquin bean—to intricate commercial bouquets designed for the Victorian handkerchief. The catalog expands into practical formulations for scented pomades, hair-restorative "philocomes," cosmetic milks, tooth powders, and specialized soaps, revealing how ingredients like musk and civet act as essential fixatives to stabilize volatile floral extracts.

In its final sections, the text embraces modern chemical analysis and industrial trade realities. Piesse discusses the recent abolition of English excise duties on soap, celebrating how deregulation fosters industrial innovation. He presents technical examinations of commercial soaps and addresses the proper storage and chemical stability of essential oils. The work concludes with an appendix on synthetic fruit essences, detailing how laboratory-created ethers can mimic natural flavors like pineapple and pear, thus signaling a bold shift toward modern synthetic chemistry.

How It Unfolds

The case for the senses Piesse opens with a moral and medical defense of smelling, asserting that an educated nose warns against airborne hazards and promotes well-being. He maps global growing zones, positioning southern France and English lavender fields as the pinnacle of aromatic production.

The mechanics of extraction The text introduces laboratory apparatuses, detailing the drying house and canvas trays used to desiccate petals. Piesse explains the precise chemical procedures of distillation, spirit infusion, and cold enfleurage using fats and oils on glass frames.

The botanical ledger A comprehensive alphabetical catalog explores plant materials from benzoin and caraway to patchouli and tuberose. Each entry specifies origin, yield per hundredweight, chemical properties, and exact methods for converting raw botanicals into stable liquid extracts.

Compound recipes and cosmetics The narrative transitions into explicit trade formulas for commercial handkerchief scents, toilet waters, and hair dressings like philocome. Piesse outlines recipes for dentifrices, mouthwashes, cold creams, and complex marbled soaps colored with mineral pigments.

Chemical frontiers and synthetic future The work concludes by analyzing industrial soap production following the removal of excise taxes. An appendix provides technical procedures for synthesizing artificial fruit essences through organic chemical reactions, pointing directly toward the future of flavor and fragrance manufacturing.

The People

G. W. Septimus Piesse The author acts as a master craftsman, analytical chemist, and impassioned advocate for the perfumer's craft. He desires to elevate perfumery from a secretive trade into an open, respected branch of applied science. He fights against public indifference toward the olfactory sense, as well as the widespread adulteration of raw materials like musk and essential oils. By the book's end, he establishes a rigorous standard for the industry.

Louis Piesse An explorer and relative of the author, he provides field observations on the fragrant flora of distant lands. Joining Captain Sturt's expedition into South Australia, he documents how wilderness rains bring forth wild blooms with scents matching English violets, expanding the practical knowledge of international plant sources.

Professor Fehling A chemist whose laboratory research forms the basis of the book's appendix on artificial fruit essences. He represents the emergence of organic chemistry within commercial manufacturing, demonstrating how precise reactions of acids and alcohols can replicate natural plant flavors.

A. Faiszt A researcher who submits famous commercial products, such as Naples shaving soap, to rigorous chemical decomposition. His analytical work reveals the precise proportions of fatty acids, potash, and mineral salts, embodying the book's push for scientific transparency over trade secrecy.

In Its Own Voice

Persons who use perfumes are more sensitive to the presence of a vitiated atmosphere than those who consider the faculty of smelling as an almost useless gift.

This opening assertion frames the cultivation of smell not as a luxury, but as a vital health defense.

The extract of jasmine enters into the composition of a great many of the most approved handkerchief perfumes sold by the English and French perfumers.

Piesse highlights the indispensable nature of jasmine extract as a foundational component in classic Victorian perfumery.

The removal of the duty from soap, and the consequent emancipation of this branch of industry from the tender mercies of the Excise, has given a fresh impetus to the manufacture...

Here the author connects legislative reform directly to industrial progress and creative freedom in the chemical arts.

What It's Really About

Beneath its collection of recipes, the book argues that sensory perception is an essential human faculty that requires systematic education. Piesse insists that scent is deeply tied to physical health, hygiene, and emotional well-being. The text exposes the tension between traditional botanical harvesting and the rapid rise of industrial chemistry. It seeks to demystify trade secrets, replacing superstitious methods with exact weights, measures, and verifiable chemical reactions. Ultimately, it asserts that nature and human intellect must collaborate to refine raw natural materials into comforting, hygienic art.

Why Read It Today

This work offers a fascinating, hands-on window into Victorian material culture and the historical origins of modern cosmetics. Readers interested in historical crafts, natural perfumery, herbalism, or the history of science will appreciate its incredible density of practical information. Piesse writes with absolute clarity and authority, making complex nineteenth-century procedures easy to understand.

The prose is accessible and remarkably free of heavy period jargon, though modern readers must navigate historical chemical terminology, old-fashioned liquid measurements, and trade-specific names. Furthermore, the book includes historical recipes that utilize animal products, such as musk pods and lead plaster, which reflect the standard manufacturing practices of the 1850s rather than modern safety standards. What lingers after reading is Piesse's genuine enthusiasm for his craft. He transforms simple flowers into complex chemical puzzles, convincing the reader that a well-formulated perfume is a true work of art.