245.00€
An exceptionally rare and visually striking official Elizabeth Arden beauty routine manual, published in Greek for the exclusive Athens distributor M. Baharias (Μιχαήλ Μπαχαρίας) during the early 1940s.
Issued as a luxury promotional booklet for clients of Elizabeth Arden’s prestigious cosmetics line, this elegant publication offers a fascinating insight into the beauty culture of interwar Greece and the international reach of one of the world’s most celebrated cosmetic houses.
The beautifully designed cover features the iconic 1927 black-and-white portrait by Baron Adolph de Meyer, one of the pioneers of fashion photography and a defining figure of the Art Deco era. Elizabeth Arden’s facsimile signature appears beneath the title, reinforcing its status as an official promotional publication.
The title, ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΛΛΟΝΗΝ, may be translated literally as “Towards Beauty”, while its intended marketing sense is best understood as “A Guide to Becoming Beautiful.”
Bibliographical Details
Title: ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΛΛΟΝΗΝ (Pros Tin Kallonin)
Translation: Towards Beauty / A Guide to Becoming Beautiful
Brand: Elizabeth Arden
Publisher / Distributor: M. Baharias (Μιχαήλ Μπαχαριας)
Place of publication: Athens, Greece
Date: Circa early 1940s (supported by the early five-digit Athens telephone number printed in the booklet)
Language: Greek
Format: Softcover promotional manual
Dimensions: Approximately 16 cm × 11 cm
Pagination: 28 pages
Contents
Written entirely in Greek, the booklet presents a complete Elizabeth Arden skincare and beauty regimen, introducing customers to many of the firm’s celebrated products and explaining their correct use.
Among the products featured are:
Cream Amoretta
Ultra Amoretta
Crème de France
Crème Orange
Poudre Jumelles
Lille de France
Additional skincare, cleansing and cosmetic preparations
Far more than a simple advertising leaflet, the publication provides a comprehensive beauty routine intended for fashionable women of pre-war Athens and reflects the sophisticated marketing employed by luxury cosmetic brands during the interwar period.
Historical Importance
Ephemeral promotional publications such as this were produced in limited numbers and were rarely preserved, making surviving examples exceptionally scarce today.
The booklet documents the introduction and marketing of Elizabeth Arden products in Greece through the exclusive importer M. Baharias, illustrating the growing influence of international luxury brands within Greek urban society during the interwar years.
It represents an outstanding intersection of:
Elizabeth Arden history
Art Deco design
Fashion photography
Luxury cosmetics
Greek advertising
Women’s social history
Early twentieth-century commercial printing
No other copy could be traced in publicly accessible institutional or commercial records at the time of listing.
Condition
Good (+) vintage condition.
Complete (28 pages)
Original wrappers
Spine intact
Pages firmly bound
General age toning and light handling wear consistent with age
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form part of the description and condition assessment.
An exceptionally elusive piece of Elizabeth Arden history, combining luxury cosmetics, Art Deco aesthetics, Greek advertising, and pre-war printed ephemera. A highly desirable acquisition for collectors of vintage beauty memorabilia, fashion history, advertising, or museum collections.
