Both Maitreyi and Na Hanyate (books I referred to in my post on Mircea Elaide and Maitreyi Devi) refer to Indian flowers and scents. So I thought I would do a post on advertisements for Indian/Ceylonese scents. Though not all of them feature saris and/or blouses.
Grossmith, a perfume house which has been recently revived, was one of the first to introduce oriental scents in 1891.
The advertisement for Phul-Nana doesn’t feature a sari but is vaguely oriental (yet distinct from the advertisement for the perfume, Shem-el-Nessim which draws its name from the Arabic).
Wana Ranee (Forest Queen, advertisements from around 1914) uses Ceylonese women in all its advertisements and appears to be floral in nature. The picture here is suggestive of the half-sarees popular in South India. And I like that the Wana Ranee always has a rose tucked in her hair!
And lastly, by 1923, the advertisement for Ganika (Sanskrit for Courtesan) while still trading on the mysterious East is otherwise modern in nature.
Vintage Indian Clothing 