Fargeon is one of the largest perfumer of its time. It has, for this reason, provides in perfumes, pomades, powders, make-ups the most influential people of the Kingdom of France: Madam of Barry, Marie-Antoinette, the Duke of Orleans And it is with this figure headlight of the history of perfumery that Elisabeth de Feydeau devoted this splendid work Jean-Louis Fargeon, Parfumeur of Marie-Antoinette (Paris, used fleshjack 2004) of which here a small summary.

Jean-Louis Fargeon used fleshjack born in Montpellier in 1748 in a family from perfumers. He was seven years old when was born, on November 2, 1755, an archduchess used fleshjack fore-mentioned Austria Marie-Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne who would become 20 years later queen of France then her more flesh light in use customer.

But before beginning used fleshjack training used fleshjack perfumer, his father wanted that it follows a traditional solid formation in order to answer the refinement of his future customers. It was necessary to get rid of its accent of the south and to speak like the Parisian ones. It is at this period that it reads all the large thinkers of its time: Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Condillac.

At its exit of the College, it starts has to improve the family receipts: cosmetics, reds, make-ups, soaps, pastes to bleach the hands and the face, powders and opiates for the teeth, shelves and liquors being used to scent the mouth. For the care of hair, it creates oils and powders of all the colors, pomades and dyeings. Faithful to the tradition, it practises art to manufacture gloves, to dye them and to scent them. In spite of these effort, the family company stagnates, competed with by the spirit merchants, perfumers without the being and the craftsmen of Fatty. He remembers then a recommendation of his father: to succeed, it is necessary to leave. And Paris, with Marie-Antoinette like Dauphine, was the only place where could be recognized and rewarded the gifts for a young perfumer. Also, in spite of the recriminations of his mother, it decides to be supplier of the court. It leaves in 1773.  Thanks to a cousin, exerting in Paris, it spends its year to prepare the control near the Vigier widow, who counts among her customers Mrs. of Barry. It is besides with the latter that it starts to return visit to the Court.

In 1774, it is received Master Gantier-Perfumer. Unfortunately for him, this same year, Louis XV dies making him lose the customers of Mrs. of Barry. It thus follows a period of relative vacuum during which it Marie. Then it ends up meeting the Queen via the princess of Guéménée. It starts with him to provide gloves. Those having allured it, it orders what to him to decorate its baths. Then it is combined in Léonard the famous hairdresser of the queen, to which it provides powders and pomades. But Léonard does not regulate his orders then to him it decides to untie itself some. It is at this time that Miss Bertin, modiste of the Queen, ask him for a perfume for her hats. Gradually, it provides practically all the royal family. Also, for the year 1778 its orders reach insane fortunes. The Queen, with it only, spent more than 200.000 books. But everyone was not also good payer of the Queen. And the bankruptcy is recorded on January 12, 1779. She rose with 304.000 books. Many negligent customers settled their debts then in order not to lose the services of this marvellous perfumer. But not wanting to renew this experiment, Fargeon decides to diversify its activities. It dispatches its products in all France.  The perfumer is at the top of his career. From 1783 one to seek to reduce the expenditure of the Court. Nevertheless, the businesses of Fargeon remain prosperous. It made a considerable trade with the foreigner (England, the United States).

With the Revolution of 1789, ostentation is not tolerated any more but Fargeon continuous to provide the Queen, even when it is locked up with Tileries. However republican in the heart, Fargeon is afflicted in the way in which the Revolution turned. It thus decides to sell its business which becomes then the firm Mouchet-Winch & Co.

Little time after Fargeon is stopped for counterfeiting. There will remain several months in prison before its innocence is declared.

After having escaped with the guillotine, Fargeon does not aspire any more but to only one make fleshlight tighter to take used fleshjack retirement in peace. But the things go from there differently when he realizes that the transferees of its business leads it to the ruin. It finds its shop then used fleshjack becomes Perfumer distiller patented supplier of the Empress. However its health had been ruined by the prison and he dies on November 9, 1806, 58 years old. Its business make fleshlight tighter not survive beyond the Thirties.

References of the work:

Elisabeth de Feydeau, Jean-Louis Fargeon, Perfumer of Marie-Antoinette, Paris, Perrin, 2004
Find the criticism of the work on my blog cultural.

 Illustrations:

Portrait of Marie-Antoinette by Elisabeth make fleshlight tighter the Brown one, 1783

Pot Fargeon flesh light in use by the Association of the archaeologists of Quebec