Literature and scent have a long history together, and it all began with the Madeleine Effect, which was originally described in the 4,000-page classic novel In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. In this iconic scenario, the aroma of a madeleine pastry dipped into a hot cup of tisane infusion conjures up the first-person narrator’s memories of his or her early years.
Many perfumes have been inspired by or named after notable writers and their works as proof that the inspiring impulse works both ways. We asked longtime contributors, photographer Maciek Miloch, and art director and set designer Anna Nizio, to produce a series of still lives exhibiting the most exquisite and fascinating fragrances associated with the world of reading.
The names of the fragrances and their olfactory pyramides, the abstract patterns of fanned-out book pages, the grainy structure of seasoned printing paper — these mesmerising images entice you into a cozy world of words and imagination, making you want to pick up your favorite book and re-read it in just one night. Enjoy!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Maciek Miloch, @miloch_com
ART DIRECTION & SET DESIGN: Anna Nizio, @anna_nizio
Perfume & literature …
… have a long history together.
01. Les Bains Guerbois: 1900 L’Heure De Proust
“And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane.”
—In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
PERFUMER: Jérôme Epinette
YEAR: 2018
www.lesbainsguerbois.com
02. Histoires de Parfums: 1804 George Sand
“We cannot tear out a single page of our life, but we can throw the whole book in the fire.“
—George Sand
PERFUMER: unknown
YEAR: 2001
www.histoiresdeparfums.com
03. Ormonde Jayne: Gatsby 22
“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
—The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
PERFUMER: unknown
YEAR: 2022
www.ormondejayne.com
4. Parfumerie Particulière: Typewriter
“I’m totally in control of this tiny, tiny world right there at the typewriter.”
—Joan Didion
PERFUMER: Amélie Bourgeois, Anne-Sophie Behaghel
YEAR: 2016
www.parfumerieparticuliere.com
5. Frédéric Malle: Portrait of a Lady
“I’m yours for ever — for ever and ever. Here I stand; I’m as firm as a rock. If you’ll only trust me, how little you’ll be disappointed. Be mine as I am yours.“
—Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
PERFUMER: Dominique Ropion
YEAR: 2010
www.fredericmalle.eu
6. Akro: Ink
“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”
—Ernest Hemmingway
PERFUMER: Olivier Cresp
YEAR: 2022
www.akrofragrances.com
If you enjoyed this post you may also like this perfume editorial by the same photographer and creative director.