Atkinsons 1799 Fragrances. Every flask contains over 200 years of gloriously fragrant Atkinsons history that started with a young Englishman accompanied by a bear, a handful of recipes and a dream of success.

His fame spread abroad and before long his clientele featured names as august and regal as Prince Tomasi di Lampedusa, the Tsarina of Russia, Queen Margherita of Savoia, Lady Hamilton and that dandiest of all dandies, Beau Brummel. Even arch-enemies Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington were fragrantly united in their appreciation of Atkinsons’ divine colognes. And if that weren’t enough, the final seal of sweet-smelling success came in 1826 when King George IV chanced upon the brand and was immediately intoxicated. Love at first whiff, one might say. In fact, he went so far as to proclaim Atkinsons the Official Perfumer to the Royal Court of England and the rest, as they say, is history.

The shape of the elegant and oh so sophisticated cut-glass flask recalls that of the very first Atkinsons cologne and the etched pattern of the cap is a contemporary interpretation of the wickerwork overlay of the bottles James himself lined up with impeccable precision and elan at 44 Gerrard Street. The coat of arms is displayed as proudly today as it was 200 years ago and naturally, it still includes a bear in memory of young James’ hirsute co-adventurer, while the seal on the centre is a homage to the original rose-scented balm that first captivated British olfactory sensibilities back in 1799.

James Atkinson

Once upon a time an intrepid young British gentleman and a bear (yes, a real live growly bear) left the wild, rugged climes of Northern England in search of fame, fortune and fabulousness among the glittering cosmopolitan streets of London.

His reputation for purveying the finest of fine fragrances was cemented in 1800 with the launch of a bold, confident English Eau de Cologne, as powerful and mighty as the British Empire itself.