Sinister Scents and Perfumed Potions

Le Philtre. Artist: Paul Gavarni (French, 1804–1866). Culture: French. Date: n.d. Object number: 1955.74.205.
A806db31 seeable

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.

 
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Fragrance was once much more than a luxury product—it was intertwined with magic, medicine, and religious ritual. In this session, join fragrance historian and writer Jessica Murphy to explore scent's darker, deeper meanings over time. You'll also smell five perfumes from niche brands, each inspired by the stranger aspects of scent, and learn the stories behind them—from distinctive notes to references to literature or film.

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