Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble,Truth Social, Gettr, X , Youtube
Twenty-five years of research led to the publication of Grand Duchess Anastasia: Still a Mystery? (Histria Books) by author, J (Johannes) Froebel-Parker (histriabooks.com/product/grand-duchess-anastasia) concerning the ostensible survival of HIH Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna Romanov. One reads about history, but how many times does one have the opportunity to “scents” it?
Russian perfumier Victor Rakovich from Kazakhstan was instantly captivated by the hypothesis of survival when author, J (Johannes) Froebel-Parker, entered his perfumery in upstate village, Marathon (Cortland County), New York visited him in the author’s hometown. In this video, included here, the listener is transported via fragrances to Imperial Russia. What metacognitive goals were key to the creation of a bespoke unisex fragrance evoking pre-revolution Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tsarskoye Selo and the Empire? What historical precedents would be consulted? What cultural elements universally recognized by those familiar with Russian culture would be taken into account?
Rakovich, artisan perfumer at Press Gurwitz Perfumery, recounts the steps he took in collaboration with the author to provide an olfactory experience to better understand a bygone world which, metaphysically, can be accessed by means beyond the written word.
While Froebel-Parker listens, Rakovich narrates how the author was striving to create an alternative “scentsory” experience to better understand the life of the former Imperial Family of Russia, the culture in which they lived, and the people who lived under their rule. He states, “The goal was to create a perfume which would hold the story the way a book holds words.”
The Kazakhstan born artisan explains further that the fragrance had to be designed with certain core principles: unapologetically “Russian,” unisex (the historical context of which he explains in detail), and true to its early 20th century era origins when scent, perfume, etc. were considered “luxuries.” The video interview is at its core a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic and historical thinking behind a fragrance created to complement a book about an historical mystery. It blends the art of perfumery, Russian cultural heritage and Froebel-Parker’s research into the ongoing mystery of the survival of at least one member of the Romanov family, Anastasia (whose names means “Resurrection.”)
Froebel-Parker’s book is available at histriabooks.com/product/grand-duchess-anastasia
More information about the perfume and the perfumery can be accessed at: https://pressgurwitz.com/collections/parfums/products/eau-de-parfum-imperial-mystery
Froebel-Parker presented his research on March 8, 2026, to a full house at the Greene County Historical Society, Vedder Research Library, in Coxsackie (Greene County), New York: patch.com/new-york/hudson-ny/calendar/event/20260308/d181398c-fcd9-447e-8f95-3e931b992e25/presentation-on-fate-of-grand-duchess-anastasia-nicholaevna-romanov
His interview with Victor Rakovich can be accessed on:
https://x.com/Froebel/status/2029705870972477862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2029705870972477862%7Ctwgr%5E93803d2f2cede8292299c6583f0762e925da6972%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffroebelgalleries.wordpress.com%2F2026%2F03%2F06%2Fscents-ing-history-the-creation-of-imperial-mystery-eau-de-parfum%2F
and
and
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVhlrYSiodl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
