Perfume 101: Fragrance Basics (Online)
Taught by Jessica Murphy
Jessica Murphy is an art historian and museum professional with a longtime passion for perfume. She's been a contributor at the blog Now Smell This since 2007, and since 2015 she's been giving presentations about the cultural history of fragrance via the Institute for Art and Olfaction, the Brooklyn Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, and other venues. Her writing about scent has appeared in Atlas Obscura and Viscose Journal and she's been interviewed by Vogue, The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Harper’s Bazaar, Decoder Ring, and other media outlets. She shares her thoughts on olfactory and visual topics at her Substack, Show & Smell.
“Why does my perfume seem to change while I'm wearing it?”
“What's the best way to store fragrance?”
“What exactly is a ‘chypre’?”
If you've ever asked yourself questions like these, or if you've ever just stood in front of dozens of bottles at a perfume counter and wondered where to begin, you're not alone.
This session is a general introduction to fragrance—think of it as a "perfume appreciation" class. It will include an overview of useful terminology; a short history of perfume; and suggestions for shopping and further exploration. Bring a perfume sample of your choice to this online class—especially something you haven’t tried yet—and we’ll do some smelling exercises together!
