РОМЕО (Romeo) Eau de cologne

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

"РОМЕО" (Romeo) Eau de cologne

Entry/Object ID

2025.1.271

Description

Rectangular flask-shaped clear-glass cologne bottle, nearly full of pale-yellow liquid, with a ribbed cream plastic screw cap. The front paper label (black ground) carries a gold Art-Nouveau arch/gate — a Verona architectural motif — over a red field, with "РОМЕО" in gold and "ОДЕКОЛОН" (eau de cologne) in red below.

Collection

The Cabrera Arús family collection, María A. Arús Caraballo collection

Acquisition

Accession

2025.1

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Severnoye Siyanie

Time Period

20th Century

Place

City

Leningrad

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Edition

Romeo

Notes

Maker: Attributed to Фабрика «Северное Сияние» (Severnoye Siyanie / "Northern Lights"), Leningrad, USSR — originator of the Soviet Shakespeare fragrance line that includes "Romeo." The producing factory is not independently legible on the visible label (Soviet scents were sometimes made by multiple factories), so the attribution rests on the documented line. Date: Circa mid-1960s–early 1980s (production era of the Soviet Shakespeare fragrance line).

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Label

Location

bottle front

Transcription

Pomeo, ОДЕКОЛОН

Language

Russian

Translation

Romeo, cologne

Material/Technique

Label

Dimensions

Height

11.5 cm

Width

7 cm

Depth

2.5 cm

Parts

Glass bottle (with contents — cologne liquid, nearly full) Ribbed plastic screw cap

Materials

Material

Glass, Plastic, Paper

Material Notes

It contains perfGlass (bottle); plastic (cap); paper (label); alcohol-based cologne (contents).ume

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

María A. Arús Caraballo

Notes

owner

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

use, acquisition

Place

City

Leningrad

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

production

Research Notes

Notes

"Romeo" is the masculine half of the Soviet "Romeo & Juliet" pairing within Severnoye Siyanie's Shakespeare fragrances (alongside the "Hamlet" cologne and "Ophelia" perfume). The Romeo–Juliet set was issued unchanged from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, packaged with a red-and-gold depiction of an old Verona square on the inside of the lid — consistent with the gold Verona-arch graphic on this bottle's label.

Notes

The exact producing factory is not confirmable from the visible label; verify via any mark, GOST number, volume, and price on the base/reverse.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

March 31, 2022

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 15, 2026