As far as years go, 1933 doesn’t stand out the way, say, 1492 does. But in many areas — culture, politics, and a new awareness of the larger world — 1933 was extraordinary. The perfumes of 1933 are extraordinary, too.
1933 falls into the Great Depression, between the Roaring ‘20s and World War Two. In America, communities languished in the wake of Black Monday. In Europe, which still reeled from World War One, fascism was growing and Dachau opened its doors. To escape poverty and fear for a few hours, people flocked to the movies and watched the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, Fay Wray in King Kong, and Jean Harlow in bias-cut satin in Dinner at Eight. Billie Holiday’s career began…
