Antonio Mcgowan
Mary Garden (1874-1967) was a Scottish soprano in the opera, making her first public debut in Paris in 1900. From 1910 onwards, Rigaud of Paris produced many cosmetics and toiletries bearing the Mary Garden name and picture. The Mary Garden perfume was an early example of a celebrity fragrance. In 1937, Mary Garden sued Rigaud for not properly licensing her name and image. The court found in her favour, stating that Rigaud had failed to secure the consent needed to register her name and portrait as a trademark.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Company | Rigaud |
| Product | Mary Garden perfume |
| Product Type | Cosmetics and personal care accessories |
| Company Location | 16 rue de la Paix, Paris |
| Distributor | George Borgfeldt & Co. |
| Distributor Location | America |
| Product Launch Year | 1910 |
| Celebrity Attached | Mary Garden, a Scottish soprano in opera |
| Trademark Lawsuit | Garden v. Parfumerie Rigaud, Inc. (1937) |
| Lawsuit Outcome | In favor of Mary Garden |
| Current Business Focus | Rigaud Candle |
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What You'll Learn
Mary Garden was an opera soprano
Mary Garden (1874-1967) was a Scottish-born soprano who became famous for her operatic portrayals. She moved to the United States with her parents at the age of seven and began studying music at a young age. In 1897, she travelled to Paris to continue her voice training and made her public debut there in April 1900 as the lead in Gustave Charpentier's Louise at the Opéra-Comique. She was an immediate success and quickly became one of the leading sopranos at the Opéra-Comique.
Garden was noted not only for her brilliant and highly individual singing voice but also for her remarkable acting and dramatic abilities. She took on roles in several world premieres, including Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902, in which she sang the female lead, and this became her most famous role. She also starred in Jules Massenet's Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame, Richard Strauss's Salomé, Henri Février's Monna Vanna, and Italo Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re.
In 1907, Garden joined the Manhattan Opera House in New York, where she made her American debut and became a household name. She went on to perform with several major American opera companies, including the Boston Opera Company and the Philadelphia Opera Company. From 1910 to 1931, she worked with various opera houses in Chicago, including the Chicago Grand Opera Company and the Chicago Opera Association, and she served as the general director of the latter company from 1921 to 1922.
Garden retired from the operatic stage in 1931 but remained active in musical circles for the next 20 years, giving numerous national lectures and recitals. She was a larger-than-life character, a relentless self-publicist, and her flamboyant personal life often attracted more attention than her performances. She wrote an autobiography, Mary Garden's Story, which was published in 1951.
In addition to her operatic fame, Mary Garden lent her name to a line of cosmetics and personal care accessories created by Rigaud of Paris. However, a legal case in 1937, Garden v. Parfumerie Rigaud, Inc., revealed that the company had exceeded the permissions granted to them in licensing her name. The court found in Garden's favour, stating that while she had consented to the use of her name for a particular perfume, Rigaud had failed to secure the necessary consent to register her name and portrait as a trademark.
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Rigaud was based at 16 rue de la Paix, Paris
Rigaud, a French perfume house, was founded in Paris in 1852. The company was started by Jean-Baptiste François Rigaud, who initially worked with Grimault & Cie in Paris. Grimault & Cie was a famous pharmacy known for its aromatic medicinal products. The company was located at 7 Rue La Feuillade and 12 Rue La Vrillière, with deposits in major cities across France and abroad.
Rigaud was based at 16 Rue de la Paix in Paris, a street synonymous with luxury and fashion. The street is known for hosting jewellers, stylists, perfumeries, and even a toothpaste manufacturer. Rue de la Paix is considered one of the most iconic shopping streets in Paris and one of the two most expensive properties on a Monopoly board.
Rigaud's perfumes were sold worldwide by the end of the 19th century, with exports to foreign markets. The company created a line of cosmetics and personal care accessories under the name Mary Garden, an early example of a celebrity fragrance. However, Mary sued the company in 1937 for using her name and portrait without the necessary consent to register them as trademarks.
In 1950, Rigaud "invented" scented candles, which became popular with customers and shifted the company's focus away from perfumes. Today, Rigaud's business primarily revolves around scented candles and indoor air fresheners. The brand still exists, although its production has shifted away from colognes and perfumes.
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Rigaud created a whole line of Mary Garden cosmetics
Rigaud of Paris created a whole line of Mary Garden cosmetics and personal care accessories. The products were manufactured at 16 rue de la Paix, Paris, and distributed in America by George Borgfeldt & Co. from 1910 onwards.
The Mary Garden line included perfume, face powder, and other toiletries. The perfume was described as "the original creation of the world's great perfumer Rigaud", with an enchanting atmosphere of flower fragrance. The face powder was said to be "soft and smooth as the velvet on a butterfly's wing", promising to make the user's complexion "as transparently lovely as Mary Garden's".
However, despite the beauty and apparent popularity of the Mary Garden line, Rigaud had not properly licensed the name and image of Mary Garden. In the 1937 case of Garden v. Parfumerie Rigaud, Inc., a U.S. court found in favour of Garden, stating that while she had consented to her name being used for a particular perfume, Rigaud had not obtained the consent required to register her name and portrait as a trademark.
Today, Rigaud's business is focused on scented candles, which were invented in 1950.
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Rigaud sold perfumes worldwide by the end of the 19th century
The 19th century saw the emergence of famous perfume manufacturers such as Guerlain, Roger & Gallet, and Rigaud. By the end of the century, Rigaud perfumes were sold worldwide.
Rigaud was founded by Jean-Baptiste, a parfumier and innovator. Jean-Baptiste developed distinctive perfumes that would make the Rigaud brand famous.
Until the 19th century, perfume was a luxury product, accessible only to the wealthy. However, the Industrial Revolution brought about less costly production methods, and the rise of a middle class gave perfume makers a broader market. The emergence of department stores and a growing global market led perfume manufacturers to compete for customers through attractive packaging and labelling.
Rigaud capitalised on this expanding market, selling its perfumes worldwide by the end of the 19th century. Today, the Rigaud brand is primarily focused on scented candles, which were "invented" by the company in 1950.
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Mary Garden sued Rigaud for trademark issues
Mary Garden, a Scottish soprano, sued Rigaud for trademark issues in 1937. The case, Garden v. Parfumerie Rigaud, Inc., was heard in a U.S. court, which found in her favour.
Rigaud had been selling celebrity fragrances since the early 20th century. In 1910, Henry Rigaud took over his father's business and opened a new shop in Paris. Mary Garden was one of the celebrities whose fragrances were introduced by Rigaud, along with other opera stars of the day. The Mary Garden perfume was described as providing "an enchanting atmosphere of flower fragrance". In addition to the perfume, Rigaud also sold a range of Mary Garden-branded cosmetics and personal care accessories, including cold cream, talc, face powder, toilet water, sachet powder, brillantine, lipstick, eyebrow pencil, smelling salts, breath mints, toothpaste, and mouthwash.
However, Garden only consented to the use of her name in connection with the perfume and did not give permission for Rigaud to register her name and portrait as a trademark. This led to the lawsuit and the court ruling in Garden's favour.
As a result of the ruling, Rigaud shifted its focus away from perfumes and, in 1950, "invented" scented candles, which became popular with customers. Today, the Rigaud business is primarily focused on these "Rigaud Candles".
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Rigaud of Paris manufactured Mary Garden perfume, cosmetics, and toiletries.
Mary Garden (1874-1967) was a famous Scottish soprano in the opera. Her name and image were used for the Rigaud line of cosmetics and personal care accessories.
No, Mary Garden sued Rigaud for not properly licensing her name and image. In 1937, a U.S. court found in her favour, stating that Rigaud had failed to secure the consent needed to register her name and portrait as a trademark.
