Per Fumum Endowment Fund: In 2025, you took part in the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, notably through a lecture devoted to the perfumery pavilion. What impact did this visibility have on your research work ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “This contribution was fully aligned with the current research agenda linked to the centenary, an event that remains little studied from the perspective of perfumery. Research focusing on the role of perfume at the 1925 Exhibition is still relatively scarce.
This visibility made it possible to situate the research within a broader scientific framework, notably through events such as the Art Deco Congress organised at the Cité de l’architecture.
It also encouraged encounters with researchers and professionals working in closely related fields, particularly with American Art Deco societies. These exchanges led to several invitations, notably from the Art Deco Societies of California and New York, contributing to the gradual internationalisation of the research.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: Where do your research efforts stand today ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “The archival research is now largely complete. Most of the investigations were concluded at the end of last year, although occasional returns to the archives are still planned in order to verify or further explore specific points.
From 2026 onwards, the work will mainly focus on writing the doctoral thesis, whose outline has already been approved. This phase will involve structuring and bringing coherence to several years of accumulated notes and data.
At the same time, an internship currently underway within the heritage archives of Cartier provides an opportunity to step back from the research, broaden reflection to other heritage fields, and enrich the methodology.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: Have you made any significant discoveries based on the archives you consulted ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “Recent research has focused in particular on world’s fairs. Among the notable discoveries is a bust created by Alphonse Mucha for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, designed for the perfumery house Pivert and now held at the Wiesbaden Museum in Germany. This work, linked to an interior also designed by Mucha, had until now been mentioned only very rarely.
Other discoveries emerged from the French National Archives, notably concerning printing techniques. A chromolithography patent filed in the 1830s for a perfumery suggests that this practice appeared earlier in the sector, even though the technique only became widespread in other fields from the 1850s onwards.
Finally, a significant turning point appears in the 1860s, particularly at the 1867 Exposition Universelle, where perfumery benefited for the first time from a distinct classification. This period also corresponds to the emergence of emblematic objects such as Guerlain’s bee bottle, designed for a specific essence rather than left to the customer’s choice. These developments testify to a profound transformation in the presentation of perfume, running parallel to the olfactory and scientific changes of the second half of the 19th century.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: Which documents or sources proved to be the most valuable in your study ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “Archives formed a central part of the research: national archives, documentary collections held by libraries and museums—particularly the Musée des Arts décoratifs, the Musée des Années Trente in Boulogne-Billancourt—as well as the INPI records, which preserve hundreds of patents related to perfume presentation.
Specialised publications, often written by collectors, also played a decisive role. The work of Jean-Marie Martin-Attenberg, for example, helped restore visibility to perfume houses that have since been forgotten.
Conversely, the relative scarcity of archives preserved directly within perfume houses represents a major challenge. Many collections have been dispersed, destroyed, or rendered inaccessible through successive acquisitions, which considerably complicates the work of researchers.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: Did the support of the Per Fumum Endowment Fund facilitate access to certain resources or institutions ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “This support provided access to crucial financial and relational resources. It notably facilitated connections with heritage professionals, as well as the completion of research missions at the International Perfume Museum in Grasse.
It also made possible participation in international study days dedicated to olfaction, organised in the United States, thereby contributing to the integration of this research into broader scientific networks.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: Do you see links between your work and contemporary developments in perfumery ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “The research is generating growing interest among contemporary perfume houses, particularly in a context where awareness of heritage issues is increasing significantly. Recent exhibitions devoted to perfume and the growing number of dedicated events testify to this evolution.
Museums are also granting perfume an increasingly prominent place, whether in temporary exhibitions or permanent displays. In this context, the historical study of perfume presentation can help inform current practices by reactivating forms, visual codes, and narrative approaches drawn from the past.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: Do you believe that studying the presentation of perfumery products between 1851 and 1937 can contribute to the evolution of the sector today ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “Studying this period helps to understand a time when modes of perfume presentation were evolving rapidly, in close dialogue with the decorative and fine arts. After the Second World War, and even more so from the 1960s onwards, these modes tended to become standardised.
Revisiting these moments of innovation can offer avenues for rethinking perfume presentation in a more creative way, drawing on a rich and still largely unfamiliar history.”
Per Fumum Endowment Fund: How do you envision sharing your research with the general public ?
Tristan Hinschberger: “The dissemination of the research already takes place through lectures and scholarly publications. In the longer term, a publication aimed at a broader audience is being considered, in a more accessible format than that of the doctoral thesis.
Discussions have also begun with museum institutions regarding the possibility of an exhibition devoted to the links between decorative arts and perfumery, thus offering another way of transmitting this research.”
