Lightyears Collection
Caron

NOTE: Fact checking for the following would be most welcome.

In 1901 or 1902, Ernest Daltroff and his brother Raoul purchased a small perfumery named "Emilia", located on rue Rossini in Paris, possibly with some financial assistance from a man named Kahann.


Ernest Daltroff

In 1903 the business was moved to 10 rue de la Paix and renamed "Caron".

The Daltroffs were raised in an upper middle class Russian Jewish family and Ernest Daltroff, in his youth, had traveled in both South and Central America as well as Europe. But he is not known to have had any formal training in perfumery. He was, however, exposed to perfume through his mother who is said to have used wonderful fragrances — a drop of this or that behind her ear.

In 1906, Félicie Wanpouille (Félice Eugenie Amelie Wanpouille Bergaud) joined the enterprise as creative director. From this time onward she was responsible for almost all of design work for Caron, particularly the design of bottles and packaging.

Some sources refer to Félicie Wanpouille as Félicie Bergaud or Félicie Bergaud. It would appear that her full name was Félice Eugénie Amélie Wanpouille Bergaud, as is born out by a U.S. Design Patent Number 89,985 that was granted to her on May 23, 1933, for "a new, original, and ornamental Design for a Vanity Case or the like" She gives 10 rue de la Paix as her address. (Exhibit A    Exhibit B)


Félicie Wanpouille

With the introduction of Chantecler in 1906, Parfums Caron began to gain some traction. After its introduction, it appears that Daltroff and Wanpouille hunkered down and got to work on what was to become Narcisse Noir, their breakthrough fragrance launched in 1911. Thanks to the fragrance and the use of a wonderful Baccarat bottle, Narcisse Noir made its way to Hollywood and into the hands of Gloria Swanson, who was seen holding the bottle in her film "Sunset Boulevard".

The collaboration between Daltroff and Wanpouille continued until 1939, when Daltroff moved first to Canada and then to the United States to escape the Nazi occupation of France and persecution of Jews.

Ernest Daltroff left Caron in the more than just capable hands of Félicie Wanpouille. With Daltroff gone, she began a professional collaboration with perfumer Michel Morsetti and the House of Caron continued to introduce new perfumes.

Ernest Daltroff died in 1947 at the age of 80. Félicie Wanpouille continued to manage the enterprise until she retired in 1962. She died in 1967 at the age of 93.

Parfums Caron has been owned by the Alès Group since 1998.

Perfumes By Caron

FragrancePerfumerBottle
Royal Emilia (1904)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Royal Caron (1904)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Radiant (1904)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Modernis (1906)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Bel Amour (1906)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Chantecler (1906)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Ravissement (1906)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Affolant (1908)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Isadora (1910)Ernest Daltroff Julien Viard
Parfum Precieux (1910)Ernest Daltroff Julien Viard
Rose Précieuse (1910)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Elegancia (1911)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Jacinthe Précieuse (1911)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Narcisse Noir (1911)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Infini (1912)Ernest DaltroffSerge Mansau
Radiant (1913)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Violette Précieuse (1913)Ernest DaltroffUnknown
N'Aimez Que Moi (1916)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
London Paris (1917)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Mimosa (1917)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Tabac Blond (1919)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Narcisse Blanc (1922)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Nuit de Noël (1922)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille / Françoise Bergaud
Bichon Fard (1922)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Pocahontas (1923)Ernest DaltroffJulien Viard
Acaciosa (1923)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Bellodgia (1927)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Pois de Senteur de Chez Moi (1927)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
En Avion (1929)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Les Rocailles de Caron (1933)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Caron Pour Un Homme (1934)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille;
Fleurs de Rocaille (1934)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Les Cent Fards (1935)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Madame Peau Fine (1935)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Adastra (1936)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
French Cancan (1936)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
La Fête des Roses (1936)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Alpona (1939)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Rose de Noël (1939)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Voeu de Noël (1939)Ernest DaltroffFélicie Wanpouille
Royal Bain de Caron / Royal Bain de Champagne (1941)Michel MorsettiFélicie Wanpouille
Farnesiana (1947)Michel MorsettiFélicie Wanpouille
Tabac Noir (1948)Michel MorsettiFélicie Wanpouille
Caron Pour Une Femme (1949)Michel MorsettiFélicie Wanpouille
Or et Noir (1949)Michel MorsettiFélicie Wanpouille
Rose (1949)Michel MorsettiFélicie Wanpouille
With Pleasure (1949)Michel Morsetti Félicie Wanpouille
Muguet de Bonheur (1952)Michel Morsetti Félicie Wanpouille
Coup de Fouet (1954)Michel Morsetti Félicie Wanpouille
Poivre (1954)Unknown Félicie Wanpouille
Yatagan (1976)UnknownUnknown
Eau de Caron (1980)UnknownFederico Restrepo
Nocturnes (1981)Gerard LefortPierre Dinand
Number 3 / Le 3me Homme / The Third Man (1985)UnknownPierre Dinand
Montaigne (1986)UnknownUnknown
Parfum Sacré (1990)Jean-Pierre Bethouart (Firmenich)Verrieres Brosse
Fleur de Rocaille (1993)Michel MorsettiJoel Desgrippes
Caron Eau de Cologne (1994)UnknownUnknown
Aimez-Moi (1996)Creations Aromatiques (Haarmann & Reimer)Federico Restrepo
Eau de Caron Pure (1996)UnknownUnknown
Eau Fraîche (1997)UnknownUnknown
Eau de Caron Forte (1999)UnknownUnknown
L'Anarchiste (2000)Richard FraysseSerge Mansau
Lady (2000)UnknownUnknown
Caron Pour Une Femme (2001)Richard FraysseUnknown
Miss Rocaille (2004)UnknownUnknown
Caron Impact Pour un Homme (2005)Richard FraysseUnknown
TBA (2006)UnknownUnknown

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