A PODCAST FROM IMMORTAL PERFUMES
The Scent
Archive
Curious histories, bottled
EP 02 - APRIL 29, 2026
THE DOCTOR AND THE ATOMIZER
How a Civil War veteran in Toledo accidentally invented the perfume atomizer
Dr. Allen DeVilbiss was sick of shoving goose grease down his patients' throats to treat infections. So he built the first atomizer in his Toledo shed from an oil can and a rubber ball. His son Thomas turned this medical device into Art Deco masterpieces that would change how America wore perfume.
YOUR HOST
JT Siems
PERFUME HISTORIAN · EDUCATOR · WRITER
JT Siems is the founder of Immortal Perfumes, a Seattle-based literary micro-perfumery. Obsessed with history, she is a perfume historian, educator, writer, and international award-winning perfumer.
STORICAL FOOTNOTES: MADAME TUSSAUD'S CHAMBER OF HORRORS
After you visited the museum, if you were brave enough and could afford the extra six pence admission, Madame Tussaud would allow you entry to her infamous Chamber of Horrors. An early version of The Chamber was created in the late 1700s and was the most popular exhibit until its demise in 2016. Today we’re looking at the gory appeal of Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors.