Friday, May 13, 2011

We find some more research from the International Perfume Bottle Association via Bonnie Salzman on Ed Bush’s article about Frederick Carder’s “firing” at Steuben.

Dear Alan,

This is in response to posting #1169 entitled “You’re fired”. Ed Bush had done some research on Carder’s demise at Steuben, and unearthed the name of Ralph Vaughn, who, allegedly, was a Perfumer. Of course, fellow IPBA members Frank and Elizabeth Creech and I immediately contacted the IPBA historian and research guru extraordinaire Helen Farnsworth, who came up with the attached information.

Many thanks to her for allowing those of us who collect those wonderful perfume and cologne bottles to be able to show our faces with heads held high at symposium this Fall. We certainly do not want it thought that someone whose business was that of a true Perfumer was the root of Carder’s undoing at Steuben. Rotten tomatoes won’t look good on me J

Bonnie Salzman
Richmond, VA

Report on Ralph C. Vaughn from Helen Farnsworth

I have reviewed the materials from the article about Carder losing control of Steuben into the hands of a “perfumer” called Ralph C. Vaughn.

Counting this citation for Vaughn I find only 2 other mentions of him in my archives and sources. I have searched The American Perfumer (s) in my collection as well as the newspaper archives and trademark records. Also I consulted Google of course. Obviously this is not an exhaustive search, but the results are mostly negative and I have also tried variations on the names like Carter and Vaughan to see what that might net. Again with no further results.

The New York Times archives show that Ralph C. Vaughn was the Secretary and Treasurer for Leigh Chemists Company in Jackson Heights New York in 1922. He was then promoted to General Manager of Leigh Chemists–his position in 1930. From this position, he became the sales manager at Steuben-note that even though he is called a perfumer by trade that both these positions are business related. To Steuben he came as a Perfumer– the designation for anyone working in the cosmetics and fragrance industry at that time. Leigh Chemist was a mostly cosmetics firm at this time and although they later did have a few perfumes their major business was in this area of powders and creams.

I could find no citation for the time that Vaughn spent with Steuben, but by 1937 he was associated with the Dalara Company at 521 Fifth Avenue in New York. This address was a five- story office building that was home to many different small cosmetics firms. Vaughn’s name is on the trademark in 1932 for a product called “Trulip”, a lipstick. It is possible that Vaughn brought his trademarked lipstick to Dalara in 1937, since later ads cite “Trulip” as being by Dalara. It would appear that his time at Steuben was rather limited-at the most six years.

So we have a man called a perfumer who worked in sales and was a treasurer secretary (and manager) for another cosmetic firm over his career. I can find no connection or mention of any perfume bottle or glass experience.

Thus I would speculate that Ralph was a businessman with little experience with perfumes and the bottles associated with them.

The dictionary defines perfumer as a maker or seller of perfumes and I believe that this second meaning as a seller defines Ralph.

A final note that adds to the business association for Ralph is his first career mention as part of Waterbury Watch Company.

This era in American perfumes and any luxury trade was one of high anxiety for all due to the effects of the Depression on such goods. I would speculate that Steuben was searching for a professional businessman to help their bottom line and raise profits.

www.cardersteubenclub.org

2011 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 15-17, 2011.

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