Letter from Jacques Guerlain (1935)

In 1935, renowned perfumer Jacques Guerlain develops the company's business in Switzerland.

Letter from Jacques Guerlain to Monsieur Mermier of Zurich in Switzerland, part typed and part handwritten. One page. In French. 20.8 cm x 27 cm. Paris, April 8, 1935. Excellent condition. Single piece.

(...) it is important, for the moment, to point out to Swiss customers that they have every interest in buying as much goods as possible, given the chances of the Swiss franc depreciating. (...) especially products we want to sell.

Sincerely,
Guerlain

Jacques Guerlain (1874 - 1963) is the grandson of the founder of the Guerlain company, which was created in 1828. He learned the art of perfume from his uncle Aimé and took over the company in 1912. He quickly became the most renowned of the Guerlain family, as he is credited for important innovations for the perfumery sector and, above all, legendary fragrances such as "L'Heure Bleue" (1912), "Mitsouko" (1919) or "Shalimar" (1925). He created more than eighty perfumes, but some estimates suggest that he composed more than three hundred... Although his work as a perfumer earned him worldwide fame, a considerable fortune and several honors, Jacques Guerlain was discreet and did not give interviews: consequently, little information reached us about his creative process and his personal life.

Autograph documents by great French stylists or perfumers rarely appear on the market, being generally acquired and kept by these companies which, despite their glamor and creativity, are businesses that need to sell, as this unusual letter by Jacques Guerlain recalls.

The year, 1935, when the store on Place Vendôme opened, the sophisticated header, the small handwritten paragraph and the large signature of Jacques Gerlain himself also call attention and value this letter even more.