Mary Chess
Encyclopedia
Mary Chess was a perfumer
who made fragrances using all natural ingredients. Her company, the eponymous Mary Chess, was owned by Henri Garceau.
, the daughter of William E. Chess, who owned a local cordage mill. In 1907 she married Avery Robinson
, also from Louisville and son of another Louisville mill owner, who had worked for her father after graduating from MIT. In 1920 Chess and Robinson left for London where Robinson was employed as treasurer to the Royal Philharmonic Society
.
In London she became famous for her sculpted metal flowers which she sold to the Queen Mother. She founded the Mary Chess Company in 1932.
While in London Chess sent her daughter Carley to study with Nadia Boulanger
, despite the composer's pessimistic assessment of the girl's aptitude for music.
In the end Carley did not pursue a musical career but instead became a writer of children's books.
"She created all her perfumes herself, using natural ingredients."
By 1934 the Mary Chess name was becoming a proxy for fine women's perfume.
Mary created many perfumes, of which arguably the most famous is Tapestry.
Probably incomplete perfume list:
Just after World War II and continuing into the 1960s, a selection of Mary Chess perfumes was sold in glass bottles shaped like chess pieces.
Though expensive,
these sets proved popular.
The Wheaton Glass Company of Millville
, New Jersey
produced the glass bottles and pressed figural stoppers for Mary Chess from 1946 to 1948.
Perfumer
A perfumer is a term used for an expert on creating perfume compositions, sometimes referred to affectionately as a Nose due to their fine sense of smell and skill in producing olfactory compositions...
who made fragrances using all natural ingredients. Her company, the eponymous Mary Chess, was owned by Henri Garceau.
Biographical Information
Grace Mary Chess was born in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, the daughter of William E. Chess, who owned a local cordage mill. In 1907 she married Avery Robinson
Avery Robinson
Avery Robinson was an American classical composer who worked with, among others, Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson.-Biography:Avery Robinson was born on January 21, 1878 in Louisville, Kentucky. His father was a local mill owner there. After graduating from MIT, Avery returned to Louisville to work...
, also from Louisville and son of another Louisville mill owner, who had worked for her father after graduating from MIT. In 1920 Chess and Robinson left for London where Robinson was employed as treasurer to the Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
.
In London she became famous for her sculpted metal flowers which she sold to the Queen Mother. She founded the Mary Chess Company in 1932.
While in London Chess sent her daughter Carley to study with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
, despite the composer's pessimistic assessment of the girl's aptitude for music.
In the end Carley did not pursue a musical career but instead became a writer of children's books.
Perfumes
Mary Chess started making perfumes in New York in 1932 after she was disappointed by the insipid aroma of a bottle of toilet water."She created all her perfumes herself, using natural ingredients."
By 1934 the Mary Chess name was becoming a proxy for fine women's perfume.
Mary created many perfumes, of which arguably the most famous is Tapestry.
Probably incomplete perfume list:
- 1932 White Lilac
- 1932 Heliotrope
- 1932 Gardenia
- 1932 Desert Verbena
- 1933 Chessmen
- 1934 Tapestry
- 1934 Yram
- 1935 Floral Odeurs
- 1939 Carnation
- 1941 Elizabethan
- 1942 Strategy
- 1946 Song
- 1956 Souvenir D'un Soir
- 1958 Chivalry
- 1960 Tuileries
- Unknown - Chess D'or
Just after World War II and continuing into the 1960s, a selection of Mary Chess perfumes was sold in glass bottles shaped like chess pieces.
Though expensive,
these sets proved popular.
The Wheaton Glass Company of Millville
Millville
Millville may refer to:United States*Millville, Arizona, a ghost town in Cochise County*Millville, California*Millville, alternate name of Burkeville, California*Millville, Delaware*Millville, Florida...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
produced the glass bottles and pressed figural stoppers for Mary Chess from 1946 to 1948.