In the acclaimed TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot (David Suchet) is seen using the vintage Geo F Trumper Aftershave Cologne in a crown top bottle such as the Wellington (1876) which is a vintage fragrance well suited to the era of the original novel.
I notice a pretty crystal glass perfume decanter bottle on Lady Mary Crawley's dressing table. I see a range of similar crystal glass perfume bottles on eBay Click HERE for a selection.
So what fragrances might someone like Lady Mary have worn? In her decanter she may have kept natural floral essential oil based toilet waters. 1912, the year in which the Downton Abbey sereies begins, was the year the fragrance L'Heure Bleue or 'the blue hour' was created by Jacques Guerlain. From the House of Caron in Paris came “N’Aimez que Moi” in 1916, and “Tabac Blond” in 1919, 1920 perfumes include Chanel No. 5 which was launched in 1921 and would have been familiar to somebody like Lady Mary Crawley. Guerlain’s Shalimar, was launched in 1925 and became one of the most popular fragrances of all time. Guerlain’s Shalimar was named after the Gardens of Shalimar in Lahore, Pakistan, which were built for Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built.