Klida Atomizers (1927)

Klida vaporizer (1927) Artist : Julius Ussy Engelhard

Klida Powder Puffs & Atomizers

Atomizer Manufacturer: E. Bonnard (1921)

E. Bonnard produced atomizer hardware under the names: Femina, Universel, Prima, Secunda and Universelbis.

c1921

Andre Delatte

Among the beautiful and comparatively scarce antique perfume atomizers of the Art Deco period are those fashioned from the richly colored decorative glass produced by André Delatte, a talented French glassmaker whose career was closely connected with the celebrated glassmaking traditions of Nancy. Although his factory operated for a relatively short period, Delatte established a reputation for producing exquisite cameo glass, brilliantly colored enameled vessels, and elegant decorative objects that rivaled the work of more established manufacturers. His creations combined the flowing botanical motifs of Art Nouveau with the stronger colors and increasingly stylized forms of Art Deco. Today, his perfume bottles and atomizers are admired for their distinctive craftsmanship, artistic decoration, and association with the renowned French glassmaking industry of the early twentieth century.

André Delatte was born in 1887 in Châtenois, in the Vosges department of northeastern France. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who entered the glassmaking profession through family workshops or lengthy apprenticeships, Delatte began his professional life in the banking industry. During his banking career, he developed a friendship with members of the Muller family, whose successful glassworks, Muller Frères, was already recognized for its beautiful cameo glass and sophisticated decorative techniques. Through this association, Delatte was introduced to the fascinating world of artistic glassmaking, an encounter that would ultimately change the course of his life.

During visits to the Muller Frères glassworks, Delatte became captivated by the extraordinary processes involved in transforming molten glass into richly colored decorative objects. He observed how skilled craftsmen manipulated glass at extremely high temperatures, combined different colored layers, and employed chemical treatments to produce elaborate ornamental effects. He was particularly interested in the relationship between chemistry and color, including the use of metallic oxides and other substances to create unusual shades and variations within the glass. The intricate acid-etched decorations, delicate floral motifs, and carefully applied enamels produced by the Muller workshops demonstrated how technical knowledge could be combined with artistic imagination. These experiences inspired Delatte to abandon his banking career and pursue the study of chemistry, believing that a scientific understanding of glassmaking would enable him to establish his own decorative glass business.

After completing his studies and obtaining his qualifications in 1919, Delatte opened a small glass-decorating studio in Nancy, located on the rue du Faubourg des Trois-Maisons. During this early period, he did not yet possess the facilities necessary to manufacture all of his own glass vessels. Instead, he obtained unfinished glass blanks from Muller Frères, whose workshops supplied the basic forms that Delatte subsequently decorated according to his own designs. These vessels could be enhanced with acid-etched patterns, colored enamels, and other decorative treatments, allowing him to develop his artistic style without immediately investing in the expensive equipment required for large-scale glass production.

This early arrangement illustrates the close relationships that existed among the glassmakers of Nancy and the surrounding Lorraine region. Decorative glass production frequently involved several specialized processes, and smaller workshops sometimes relied upon established manufacturers to supply unfinished vessels. Delatte's friendship with the Muller brothers provided him with access to experienced craftsmen and high-quality glass, while his scientific training encouraged him to experiment with colors and decorative effects. His earliest creations reflected the influence of the established Nancy glassmakers, particularly in their use of botanical subjects, layered glass, and carefully controlled acid etching.

By 1921, Delatte had achieved sufficient success to establish his own glassmaking facilities. He constructed a furnace at Jarville, a village near Nancy, allowing him to manufacture glass rather than depend entirely upon outside suppliers. His growing enterprise employed approximately thirty workers, including several craftsmen who had previously worked for the celebrated Daum glassworks. These experienced glassmakers brought valuable technical knowledge to the business, particularly in the production of colored glass, cameo decoration, and enameled vessels. Their expertise helped Delatte develop increasingly sophisticated creations, many of which displayed a quality of workmanship comparable to that of the more established Nancy manufacturers.

As the business expanded, Delatte established a studio at 16 rue de Metz in Nancy, while his earlier premises on the rue du Faubourg des Trois-Maisons continued to serve a role in glassworking activities. His enterprise became known as the Verreries de l'Est, a name reflecting its association with the glassmaking industry of eastern France. Under this name, Delatte manufactured an assortment of decorative glassware, including vases, bowls, lamps, ornamental vessels, perfume bottles, and other accessories. The factory became particularly associated with richly colored cameo glass and thickly applied polychrome enamels, two decorative techniques that were especially fashionable during the 1920s.

One of Delatte's principal specialties was cameo glass, a technique in which a vessel was constructed from two or more layers of differently colored glass and then selectively etched to reveal contrasting layers beneath. Like the work of Gallé, Daum, and Muller Frères, Delatte's cameo glass frequently featured flowers, leaves, branches, and other naturalistic subjects. However, his production relied predominantly upon acid etching rather than the extensive hand carving or wheel engraving employed on some of the most elaborate earlier Art Nouveau masterpieces. The glass was generally formed with contrasting layers, after which selected portions of the outer surface were protected with an acid-resistant material. The exposed areas were then treated with acid, removing the unwanted glass and leaving the decorative pattern in relief.

This process allowed Delatte to produce intricate designs with considerable consistency while maintaining the luminous colors and dimensional qualities associated with traditional cameo glass. A dark floral pattern might appear against a pale amber background, while another vessel could feature crimson blossoms or green foliage silhouetted against softly shaded glass. The depth of the etching, the thickness of the contrasting layers, and the careful arrangement of the decoration all contributed to the finished appearance. Although acid etching was more suitable for repeated commercial production than extensive hand carving, it still required technical skill and careful control to achieve attractive results.

Delatte's glass was especially admired for its brilliant colors and dramatic contrasts. His craftsmen experimented with combinations of amber, orange, crimson, violet, green, and blue, sometimes creating vessels whose colors appeared to blend or deepen toward the base. Other pieces featured softly mottled backgrounds that enhanced the appearance of raised floral decoration. The translucent quality of the glass allowed light to penetrate the colored layers, illuminating the patterns and giving the vessels a warm, glowing appearance. These effects were particularly beautiful in smaller perfume bottles and atomizers, where the rounded glass reservoirs intensified the colors and allowed the decoration to be appreciated from several angles.

In addition to cameo glass, Delatte became well known for his thickly applied polychrome enamel decoration. Unlike cameo glass, in which the design was created by removing portions of the glass itself, enameled decoration involved applying colored glass-based materials to the surface of the vessel. These enamels were then fused to the glass through controlled heating, producing durable ornamental patterns. Delatte frequently employed richly colored enamels to depict stylized flowers, leaves, and other decorative motifs. The enamel was sometimes applied with considerable thickness, creating a raised surface that could be felt beneath the fingertips. This technique gave his pieces a distinctive tactile quality and allowed him to produce striking contrasts between smooth glass backgrounds and richly textured ornamentation.

The bold appearance of Delatte's enameled glass was particularly suited to the emerging Art Deco style, which favored strong colors, simplified forms, and decorative compositions possessing a greater sense of structure than the flowing naturalism of Art Nouveau. Some of his designs retained graceful floral motifs reminiscent of the earlier movement, while others employed more stylized blossoms, geometric arrangements, and simplified decorative patterns. His glass therefore occupies an interesting transitional position between the two artistic styles, combining traditional Nancy glassmaking techniques with the fashionable decorative preferences of the 1920s.

The quality and appearance of Delatte's creations inevitably invited comparisons with those of Daum Nancy. Both firms operated in the same region, employed similar decorative techniques, and produced richly colored glass featuring floral and landscape motifs. Delatte's employment of former Daum craftsmen further strengthened these similarities. However, his use of designs and decorative treatments resembling those associated with Daum resulted in commercial and legal disputes. Beginning around 1922–1923, the established Daum firm brought legal actions concerning similarities between certain designs. These disputes reflected the intense competition within the French decorative glass industry, where successful artistic innovations were frequently imitated or adapted by rival manufacturers.

Despite these difficulties, Delatte continued producing decorative glass throughout the 1920s, developing a clientele attracted by the beauty and quality of his work. His vessels were suitable for a variety of fashionable interiors, particularly those furnished in the Art Deco manner. The company's perfume bottles were especially appealing as dressing table accessories, since their relatively small size allowed elaborate decorative techniques to be concentrated into compact, visually striking objects. Delatte produced both conventional perfume bottles intended for direct application of fragrance and glass reservoirs designed to accommodate atomizer mechanisms.

Two principal types of Delatte perfume containers are encountered by collectors: splash bottles and atomizers. The more commonly found examples are traditional perfume or cologne bottles, generally fitted with removable stoppers that allowed fragrance to be poured or applied directly. These vessels could feature rounded, flattened, or elongated bodies, with decorative stoppers that complemented their overall design. Their surfaces might be embellished with acid-etched flowers, brightly colored enamel decoration, or contrasting layers of glass. Such bottles were both practical containers and attractive ornaments, intended to remain on display among the other accessories of a fashionable dressing table.

Delatte perfume atomizers, by comparison, are considerably scarcer. These examples were designed to receive a metal spray mechanism rather than a conventional glass stopper, allowing perfume to be dispersed in a delicate mist. Their glass bodies could resemble miniature vases, with rounded or gently tapering forms, narrow necks, and decorative patterns arranged to complement their proportions. The limited number of surviving examples makes them particularly interesting to collectors, especially when their original spray fittings remain intact. Because atomizers were handled frequently and their rubber bulbs and metal mechanisms were subject to deterioration, complete examples in good condition can be more difficult to find than ordinary splash bottles.

The Delatte glass atomizers illustrated in my Kitzinger Frères catalog provide valuable evidence of how these decorative vessels were marketed during the period. In the examples shown, the glass reservoirs were supplied by Delatte, while the atomizer hardware was furnished and fitted by Kitzinger Frères, who retailed the completed articles. This arrangement was common within the French luxury goods industry, where specialist glassmakers supplied decorative bottles to manufacturers or retailers of perfume-dispensing accessories. The glassmaker was responsible for the artistic reservoir, while the hardware supplier provided the practical components necessary to transform it into a functioning atomizer.

The metal fittings supplied by Kitzinger Frères would have complemented the richly colored Delatte glass. Depending upon the model, an atomizer might feature a gilt or silver-colored metal collar, a decorative spray head, a slender internal tube, and a flexible rubber bulb covered in silk netting. Some bulbs were finished with ornamental tassels, adding an additional touch of elegance to the completed article. When assembled, the polished metal fittings contrasted attractively with the textured cameo decoration or brightly colored enamels, creating a sophisticated accessory suitable for a fashionable boudoir.

These collaborations are particularly important when examining surviving examples because the glass and hardware were manufactured separately. A Delatte signature identifies the maker of the decorative glass reservoir, while the metal spray mechanism may have originated from Kitzinger Frères or another specialized supplier. The presence of period hardware does not necessarily establish that it was originally fitted to a particular bottle, since atomizer mechanisms could be replaced or transferred between vessels. Original catalog illustrations are therefore especially useful when determining whether the shape of a surviving glass body and the style of its metal fittings correspond to a documented period model.

Collectors studying the examples illustrated in my Kitzinger Frères catalog should pay particular attention to the shapes of the bottles, their decorative motifs, and the placement of the Delatte signatures. These characteristics can provide valuable clues when attempting to identify similar surviving atomizers. The proportions of the glass reservoir, the shape of its shoulders and neck, and the manner in which the decoration follows the contours of the vessel may help distinguish one design from another. The decorative technique is equally important, since Delatte produced both acid-etched cameo glass and thickly enameled pieces, each possessing distinctive visual and tactile qualities.

Delatte glassware was characteristically signed, and the presence of an authentic signature is an important consideration when identifying his work. Surviving examples may bear the name Delatte, sometimes accompanied by Nancy, applied through acid etching, engraving, or other decorative methods. The signature might appear near the lower portion of the vessel, along the side, or within an area of the decoration. However, the exact form and placement of the mark could vary, and not every surviving piece is necessarily signed. For this reason, collectors should examine the quality of the glass, the decorative technique, and the overall workmanship rather than relying exclusively upon the presence of a name.

The financial difficulties that eventually overtook Delatte's business reflected the challenging economic conditions faced by many decorative glass manufacturers during the interwar years. The costs of operating glass furnaces, employing skilled craftsmen, and producing elaborate decorative objects were considerable, while competition from established manufacturers remained intense. The worldwide economic downturn following the stock market crash of 1929 further weakened the market for luxury goods. Delatte's business encountered severe financial problems, and he was declared bankrupt in 1931.

Following the bankruptcy, the enterprise was taken over by Lubin Blum, who attempted to continue operations and restore the financial stability of the business. Despite these efforts, the company was unable to regain its former position, and the glassworks ultimately closed in 1939. The closure brought an end to a relatively brief but artistically productive chapter in the history of Nancy glassmaking. Although Delatte never achieved the same international fame as Gallé or Daum, his work remains an important expression of the decorative glass traditions that flourished in northeastern France during the early twentieth century.

Today, antique perfume bottles and atomizers made from Delatte glass are appreciated for their beautiful colors, distinctive decorative techniques, and comparatively limited production period. His cameo glass reflects the continuing influence of the great Art Nouveau glassmakers, while his thickly applied polychrome enamels demonstrate the bold decorative preferences of the Art Deco era. The scarcity of his atomizers, particularly those retaining appropriate period hardware, makes them especially appealing to collectors of antique perfume accessories.

The examples preserved in my Kitzinger Frères catalog are particularly significant because they document the original commercial presentation of these elegant objects. They reveal how Delatte's decorative glass reservoirs were transformed into complete perfume atomizers through the addition of specialized metal fittings, and they provide valuable references for identifying surviving examples. More than simple perfume dispensers, these beautiful vessels represent the artistic ambitions of a former banker who abandoned a conventional profession to pursue his fascination with chemistry, color, and glassmaking. Their luminous surfaces, elaborate cameo patterns, and richly textured enamel decoration remain enduring reminders of the remarkable creativity that characterized French decorative glass during the 1920s.