#History #Djer #Kiss #Brand #Importer #Alfred #Smith #Company
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The full page advertisement shown above can be found on page 5 of the TR Register.
The cover page of the TR Register reads as:
A REFERENCE BOOK FOR BUYERS
THE T R REGISTER
MANUFACTURERS, IMPORTERS and JOBBERS
of
TOILET REQUISITES
and
DRUGGISTS’ SUNDRIES
POPE PUBLISHING CORPORATION
225 Fifth Avenue New York
1922-1923
In the early 1900s Monsieur Darthiailh founded his salon which was located at Place de l’Opera, Paris.
Soap, perfume, face powder and rouges were some of the toilet requisites made at their factory.
Monsieur Darthiailh understood that further business success depended on tapping into the vast US market.
Rather than establish an American subsidiary he appointed the New York based firm known as Alfred H. Smith Company.
The marketing used by Alfred H. Smith Co. inspired a generation of distributors of vanities and toiletries.
ROWLAND H. SMITH 1919 PASSPORT PHOTO
Photo upload credit: David Pearce
Rowland Holbrook Smith (1879-1920) was born on 14 December 1879 in New York City, USA.
Rowland’s father, Alfred Holbrook Smith was president and founder of the Alfred H. Smith Company, which originally focused on importing brushes.
Later on the business was expanded to include the importation of toiletries, vanity boxes and perfumes.
VIEW THIS ANTIQUE DJER-KISS COMPACT MIRROR
Alfred was born at Tremont Farm, Westchester, New York, the son of Abel H. Smith and Elisabeth Smith.
Alfred passed away in Paris on May 9 1904 after succumbing to pneumonia & pleurisy.
After the passing of Alfred, Rowland became president of the Alfred H. Smith Company which is noted even in the 21st century for its ingenious advertising campaigns which were ahead of the time.
The American Perfumer and Essential Oil Review said that Rowland Smith
“…did more to blaze the way for large scale advertising of perfumes and toilet preparations in this country than any other.”
Rowland hired some of the most talented illustrators and artists of the time, including Maxfield Parrish, to create wonderful fairy themed advertisements.
THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL APRIL 1918
The advertising copy is shown below:
Le Parfum Irrésistible
Ah Madame, Mademoiselle, even the genius of Maxfield Parrish can emphasize though fancy only
the charme of Djer-Kiss.
Wherever beauty is considered first Djer-Kiss holds it magic sway
Wherever smartness is desired its French appeal its air parisien are irresistible.
To be charmed with Djer-Kiss once is to be charmed with Djer-Kiss always.
To use one Djer-Kiss spécialité is to desire them all.
ALFRED H. SMITH CO. SOLE IMPORTER NEW YORK
DJER-KISS
Made in France only
On 13 March 1906, Rowland married Jessie Patterson Cooke in Brooklyn, New York. Jessue gave birth to their three children, Dorothy, Alfred, and Edith. The family lived in Forest Hills, New York.
Rowland sought advice from his wife regarding ladies toiletries.
Jessie had travelled to Europe with Rowland on nine occasions before WW1.
Just after the end of the Great War Rowland submitted an interesting letter to the passport office to justify taking his wife on an upcoming business trip overseas:
“I am president of the Alfred H. Smith Co., importers and sole representatives in this country for Kerkoff, Paris, manufacturers of Djer Kiss perfume. I wish to go abroad on this business and feel it essential that Mrs. Smith accompany me. I know that at this time, a request of this character is unusual, but I believe that you are justified in granting this passport for her, for the following reasons.”
“Mrs. Smith has always advised me closely in connection with the adoption of new toilet specialties and in broadening the policies of the business. I therefore feel it is essential to have her with me. She has accompanied me nine times to Europe on business trips before, and this year it is more important than ever that she go, in order to take up the threads of the business broken by the European war.”
“Our imports from France this year will amount to $8,000,000.”
You can readily see that a business of this size in toilet articles needs careful attention.
Rowland was issued with a World War 1 Draft Registration Card when he was 38 years old.
We do not know anything about his war record.
Just like his father, Rowland passed away from pneumonia.
His obituary was published on page 17 of the New York Tribune, 4 April 1920.
Obituary:
Rowland H. Smith
Rowland H. Smith, forty, president of the Alfred H. Smith Company, importers of perfumes, died at his home in Forest Hills, Long Island, on Friday, of septic pneumonia. He was born in this city and was active throughout the war in all patriotic movements. Recently he had figured prominently in the promotion of a plan for the erection of the community house at Forest Hills.
He was president of the Men’s Club and of the board of trustees of the Church of the Gardens of Forest Hills.
He is survived by a wife and three children.
Funeral services will be held at the home in Forest Hills this afternoon.
Rowland’s sister, Nellie, ran the company after his death.
The fairy themed advertisements continued to attract customers.
THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL 1923
New!
The Djer-Kiss
Vanette
How French! How fashionable!
How convenient!
This charming little Vanette of Djer-Kiss – fashions new vogue.
Now may Madame carry her always in her vanity bag this Vanette of her favorite
Parfum Djer-Kiss.
The price?
Ah Madame so very moderate
Do ask then for this Vanette of Djer-Kiss -the personal paquet of parfum.
THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL 1924
Willy Pogany was another artist engaged to create illustrations which feature in their advertising campaigns.
This time the main image is inspired by the Nice Carnival held each year on the Riviera.
This advertisement was listed in the The Ladies Home Journal in 1924.
At the bottom of the ad. we see fairies or elves showing of the New Djer-Kiss Two-Fold Compact (left) and on the right the fairies show case Two Djer-Kiss Aids To Charm – Djer-Kiss TALC & Djer-Kiss FACE POWDER.
The advertising copy reads as follows:
THE DJER-KISS TWO-FOLD COMPACT-
a truly perfect Aid to Beauty
Now Mademoiselle may view her Rouge, her Face Powder and herself, all at the same time.
And- two mirrors! The detail mirror reflects any part of the face.
The unique Djer-Kiss reducing mirror reflects the whole face at a glance –
as conveniently as in a boudoir mirror.
THE LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL 1924
The advertisement above also features the Djer-Kiss Two Fold Compact.
VOGUE 1941
View vintage compact mirrors and vanity sets.
Sources:
Micheal Hetherington’s collectingcompactsblogspot
TR Register
Wikitree.
The American Perfumer and Essential Oil Review
New York, New York City Marriage Records
United States Passport Applications
Family Search Org.
