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| A Tappan collection. Photo courtesy of Helen Farnsworth. |
Judy Penz Sheluk, author of the Glass Dolphin
Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries, as well as various short stories,
returns today to talk about antique perfume bottles and how they factored into
one of her books. Learn more about Judy and her books at her website.
Facts in Fiction: Herman Tappan Perfume Bottles
Until recently, I was the
Senior Editor of the now-defunct New
England Antiques Journal. During my decade-plus of employment there, I
learned a lot about antiques, the show and auction scene, as well as the
various collector associations that represented specific areas of interest. One
of my favorites was the International
Perfume Bottle Association (IPBA). While I don’t collect perfume bottles,
the images that accompanied their press releases always captivated me.
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| The Herman Tappan perfume bottle that inspired the text. Photo courtesy of Helen Farnsworth. |
When I was writing A Hole in One, the latest book in my
Glass Dolphin Mystery series, I needed a decorative item, ideally valued in the
$100-$150 range—something my protagonist, Arabella Carpenter, could donate on
behalf of the Glass Dolphin antiques shop. I went to the IPBA website and
started checking out their virtual museum. When it became quickly apparent that
I had no clue what to select, I contacted the IPBA, who in turn put me in touch
with longtime member/volunteer and archivist Helen Farnsworth. I did so,
explaining my mission, and Helen came to the rescue.
Her suggestion of a figural
bottle of a small girl wrapped in a wolf skin fur, made by the Herman Tappan
Perfume Company, New York, NY, circa 1890, was perfect, and not just because it
was valued in the $100-$150 range. This was the kind of “sleeper” find Arabella
might have discovered at an auction or estate sale. While Tappan’s colognes and
figural bottles were aimed at the middle class and the prices affordable, he’s
not a household name like Lalique. In short, it was the sort of thing that
could have been found in an inexpensive box lot.
Facts in fiction, like this
perfume bottle, are often just a small part of the overall book—anywhere from a
single paragraph to a couple of pages—but they are by no means insignificant. An
author who gets the facts wrong is guaranteed to lose more than one reader for
life. Get them right, however, and the author not only satisfies those in the
know, she’s added another layer to the story, providing a bit of trivia for
those who enjoy such things.
A Hole in One
A Glass Dolphin Mystery, Book 2
Hoping to promote the Glass
Dolphin antiques shop, co-owners Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland agree to
sponsor a hole in one contest at a charity golf tournament. The publicity turns
out to be anything but positive, however, when Arabella’s errant tee shot lands
in the woods next to a corpse.
They soon learn that the
victim is closely related to Arabella’s ex-husband, who had been acting as the
Course Marshal. With means, opportunity, and more than enough motive, he soon
becomes the police department’s prime suspect, leaving Arabella and Emily
determined to clear his name—even if they’re not entirely convinced of his
innocence.
Dogged by incriminating
online posts from an anonymous blogger, they track down leads from Emily’s
ex-fiancé (and the woman he left Emily for), an Elvis impersonator, and a
retired antiques mall vendor with a secret of her own.
All trails lead to a
mysterious cult that may have something to do with the murder. Can Arabella and
Emily identify the killer before the murderer comes after them?
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2 comments:
Thanks for hosting me today and letting me share the story, Lois. I'm happy to reply to any comments.
Always a pleasure, Judy!
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