The letters “B. S.” embossed on the subject bottle stand for “Barber Supplies,” making the full name of the business “Imperial Perfumery and Barber Supplies, Inc.” A long-time New York City business located in the Bronx, its roots date back to the mid-teens and a partnership consisting of Arcady Gunzburg and Alex Weiss.
The Gunzburg and Weiss partnership was first listed in New York City’s 1914 directory with an address of 485 East 174th Street and the occupation “perfumers.” A year later. in 1915, the business began using the registered trade name “Imperial Perfumery & Barber Supplies.” Around the same time the company moved to the corner of Park Avenue and 176th Street where they’re listed at 4164 Park Avenue in the 1916 directory.
In 1917 Gunzburg and Weiss apparently dissolved their partnership at which time Gunzurg, now in partnership with Louis Rasumoff, continued the business. Two years later, along with Paul Budgetti, they formed a corporation called the “Imperial Perfumery and Barber Supplies, Inc. A notice to that effect appeared in the August 21, 1919 edition of “The New York Tribune.”
Sometime between 1920 and 1922 the company moved again, this time to 2645 Webster Avenue. This September 11, 1922 advertisement found in a weekly newsletter published by the Trestle Board of New York described the business as “Manufacturers of High Grade Toilet Preparations.”
In 1923 the company registered trademarked labels for two of their toilet preparations; “Imperial Lilac Toilet Water,” and “Imperial Bay Rum.” They also trademarked a label that included the phrase “Hygiene De La Tete.”
The company used the phrase “Hygiene De La Tete” (2nd label above) on the label of a product called Eau de Quinine which they packaged to closely resemble the packaging a long used product sold under the ED Pinaud name by H & G Klotz & Company. The Klotz Company took exception claiming that the casual purchaser will be deceived and misled, and mistake Imperial Perfume’s Eau de Quinine for Pinaud’s. According to the April 10, 1924 case of Klotz et al vs. Imperial Perfumery & Barber Supplies, Inc. (298 Fed. 174):
The product of defendant is contained in a bottle practically identical in appearance as to shape and size. The liquid contents are the same color in both. The neck labels of both bottles is a dull red, with white lettering. The labels on both are approximately of the same size and shape except that defendants label has rounded corners, while corners of plantiffs’ label are beveled. On plantiffs’label appears the basket of flowers. On defendant’s label is a wreath of flowers. Above the wreath on defendant’s label appear the words “Hygiene de la Tete.” Below the basket of flowers on plaintiffs label appear the words “Hygiene of the scalp.” The most prominent words on both labels are “Eau de Quinine.”
The argument is further supported by an ED Pinaud bottle also found in the Long Island bays.
Comparing the two its clear that there’s absolutely no difference in the size and shape of each bottle. With similar labels applied it would certainly be difficult to distinguish one from the other. More on ED Pinaud and the Klotz Company can be found in another Post on this site.
The court granted a preliminary injunction and as far as I can tell this put an end to the matter.
That being said, the court’s decision didn’t put an end to the Imperial Perfumery & Barber Supplies, Inc., and in 1924 they moved to what would become their long-time home at 1077 Intervale Avenue, also in the Bronx. That same year they trademarked a label for another new product, a dandruff remedy called “Imperial Elixir.”
Newspaper advertisements for Imperial Elixir began appearing in New York’s “Daily News” in November/December, 1925
The “Daily News” ads continued through much of 1926 and 1927 before disappearing completely by 1928. This March 2, 1927 advertisement suggests they continued to use the same bottle design previously used for Eau de Quinine.
While newspaper advertisements for their products vanished in the late 1920’s the business was still listed on Intervale Avenue in the late 1940’s at which time it appears both Gunzburg and Rasumoff were still involved.
The company apparently remained active in the Bronx throughout the 1950’s. Though directory information I can access is limited, I did find the company listed at 334 East 149th St. in 1953 and 250 East 150th St. in 1960.
As late as 1990 an item in the “Mount Vernon Argus” puts the Imperial Perfumery & Barber Supply, Inc. just north of the Bronx at 211 McLean Avenue in Yonkers, New York.
The bottle I found is machine-made, 6-3/4 inches tall and 2-3/8 inches in diameter. It includes “Inc.” in the embossed company name dating it no earlier than 1919 when the business incorporated. I suspect it was made in the 1920’s and contained either Eau de Quinine (early 1920’s) or Imperial Elixir (mid- late 1920’s).