Perrin Cottage Perfumery

so excited to announce my upcoming PERFUME MAKING WORKSHOPS in Williamsburg!

I have a summer series, starting in May!
click here to see the dates:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/perfume-making-workshops-4826553

sharing this photo from our demonstration at Historic Salubria (c. 1750s brick homesite) now part of Historic Germanna in central Virginia

In 18th-century Scotland, Elizabeth Blackwell faced a daunting challenge when her husband was thrown into prison for debt.

To secure his release and support her family, she decided to use her artistic talents for an incredibly ambitious project.

Elizabeth began creating "A Curious Herbal," a detailed guide to medicinal plants. This was no small task, as it required immense research and skill. 🌿

She moved to be near the Chelsea Physic Garden, where she could draw the plants directly from live specimens. She didn't just draw them; she also engraved the copper plates for printing and colored the illustrations herself.

Over three years, from 1736 to 1739, her work was published in weekly installments until it contained 500 unique and beautiful plant illustrations.

The book was a huge success. Doctors and apothecaries across Europe praised its accuracy and usefulness. It was a practical guide that helped professionals identify important medicinal herbs. 👩‍🔬

Not only did the book's proceeds successfully free her husband from prison, but it also secured Elizabeth's place in scientific history. Her work became a standard reference for decades.

The great Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, known as the father of modern taxonomy, even acknowledged her contribution by referring to her work as 'Botanica Blackwellia.'

This remarkable artifact is a sealed glass vessel dating to the second half of the 1st century CE, a period when Roman glassmaking had reached an extraordinary level of sophistication. Shaped in the form of a bird, the vessel was designed to hold precious substances—likely balsam or another valuable aromatic resin—suspended in a liquid medium. The container would have been created by skilled glassblowers who filled the vessel through either the open tail or beak, which was then reheated and sealed, preserving its contents for millennia.

What makes this vessel particularly exceptional is that it has remained sealed since its manufacture. The beak or tail, which would typically be snapped off to access the contents, has never been broken, meaning the original liquid and balsam residue inside are still intact. Such an artifact offers not only artistic and technological insight into Roman craftsmanship but also holds immense potential for scientific study, as it may preserve traces of ancient perfumes or medicinal preparations in their original state.

more on the Pompeii Perfume garden!!!!!

🏛️🌸 Pompeii’s Ancient “Perfume Garden” Is Blooming Again After 2,000 Years

Imagine walking through a garden that smells exactly as it did two millennia ago. Thanks to a remarkable restoration, that’s now possible in Pompeii, where archaeologists and botanists have brought a 2,000-year-old “perfume garden” back to life one bloom at a time.

The story begins in the 1950s, when pioneering botanist Wilhelmina Jashemski discovered traces of ancient pollen, spores, and plant fossils among the volcanic ruins of Pompeii. These silent remnants whispered of a once-lush, cultivated space possibly designed not just for beauty, but for aromatic delight.

Now, decades later, that garden has been fully restored, and it’s absolutely breathtaking. The air is once again filled with the scents of blooming roses, violets, ruscus, cherry trees, and climbing vines, recreating the floral atmosphere ancient Romans would have enjoyed.

This isn’t just a botanical restoration it’s a sensory time machine, transporting visitors straight into the fragrant world of ancient Rome. Beyond beauty, the project offers rare insight into horticulture, culture, and everyday life in a city frozen in time by Mount Vesuvius.

The rebirth of Pompeii’s perfume garden proves that history isn’t just something to read about it’s something you can smell, feel, and walk through, thanks to the careful blend of science, archaeology, and love for the natural world.

Perfume Garden at Pompeii restored!!!!!

In the 1950s, botanist Wilhelmina Jashemski identified traces of pollen, spores and plant fossils in the ancient city of Pompeii. The discovery suggested that the site had once been a lush, cultivated garden. Now, that garden is in bloom once again, complete with thousands of roses, ruscus plants, violets, cherry trees and vines.

Keep reading about this fragrant garden: https://bit.ly/4lsVbwq

📸: Archaeological Park of Pompeii

distilling roses at Agecroft Hall today.

century perfume
perfume

"Essential Oils" are not what you think.

Don’t be fooled by the claims surrounding essential oils! They’re not inherently safe. While derived from plants, essential oils undergo heavy industrial processing, often extracted with chemicals like hexane, similar to seed oils. Beyond that, the original plant oil is modified, and additional chemicals are introduced to achieve the desired scent or consistency. In many ways, essential oils are the ultra-processed foods of skincare! They are stripped of real nourishment. Unlike truly pure alternatives, such as tallow-based skincare infused with healing botanicals, they lack the bioavailable nutrients your skin craves. Your skin is your largest organ, and what you apply to it matters. Just as we prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods to fuel our bodies, we must choose skincare that nourishes rather than compromises our health. Treat your skin with the same care as your diet! It will thank you with a glow! @yarrowskinco

packaging rose water today for the Mount Vernon Market Fair.

SO EXCITED to be back at Agecroft Hall on FRIDAY. Come and see me in their luxurious gardens

featured in today's RICHMOND MAGAZINE