On March 6, 1899, a flock of peacocks on a Waikīkī estate began to wail so loudly that people across the island heard them and knew. Their keeper had just died. She was twenty-three years old, and she was supposed to be queen.

This episode follows the story of Princess Ka'iulani — the last Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii — from the fragrant gardens of her childhood home at 'Āinahau to the halls of the US Capitol, where she fought alone for her people's independence. Along the way, we explore the flowers at the heart of her story: pikake, the jasmine sambac she named after her beloved peacocks, and gardenia, her mother's flower — and what happened to both when the monarchy was gone.

In this episode:

The rise and fall of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani

The life of Princess Ka'iulani: royal heir, activist, and one of history's most overlooked figures

The pikake flower: its Hawaiian origins, olfactive profile, and why jasmine sambac is one of perfumery's most iconic notes

The cultural significance of the lei — and what pikake and gardenia meant in Hawaiian tradition

The complicated legacy of Hawaiian souvenir perfume, including Royal Hawaiian Perfumes (est. 1946)

If you love narrative history, royal biography, fragrance deep-dives, or podcasts like Noble Blood or Tasting History — this one's for you.

🌸 National Fragrance Day offer: 25% off everything at Immortal Perfumes through April 1, 2026. Use code ARCHIVE at checkout. 🛍️ Shop: immortalperfumes.com 🎙️ More about the podcast: scentarchivepod.com 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @immortalperfumes

📷 Photos of Ka'iulani's funeral, including her casket lying in state at 'Āinahau, are linked below.

Sources & Further Reading

Linnéa, Sharon. Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 1999.

Webb, Nancy, and Jean Francis Webb. Ka'iulani: Crown Princess of Hawai'i. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 1998.

de Silva, Kīhei. "Lei Kiele." Ka'iwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center, Kamehameha Schools. https://kaiwakiloumoku.ksbe.edu/article/mele-lei-kiele

Leonhardt, Kenneth W., and Glenn I. Teves. "Pikake: A Fragrant-Flowered Plant for Landscapes and Lei Production." College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, April 2002. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/of-29.pdf

Fullard-Leo, Leslie. Oral history interview, June 12, 1986. University of Hawaiʻi oral history project.

"The Cleghorn: History at Its Base." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 5, 1964.

"Gardenias Didn't Bloom for 2 Years After Princess' Death." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 5, 1952.

"Princess Ka'iulani Special Edition." Pacific Commercial Advertiser, March 13, 1899.

"Fairy." Images of Old Hawaiʻi. https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/fairy/

"How a 19th-Century Scot Married Into Hawaii's Last Royal Family." The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/how-a-19th-century-scot-married-into-hawaiis-last-royal-family-4810013

The Scent Archive is a monthly podcast and companion piece to Immortal Perfumes, a Seattle-based literary micro-perfumery specializing in historically inspired handmade fragrances. Each episode, host and perfumer JT Siems follows her nose to uncover the hidden histories of the perfumed past.

Storical is becoming something new.

Same voice. Same obsession with the past. But from here on, every story runs through scent — because scent is the detail historians keep leaving out, and it changes everything.

The Scent Archive launches on National Fragrance Day, March 21st. Once a month, a deep dive into a historical figure, an event, an object — and the scent running through it like a hidden thread. From the hull of the Titanic to the French Resistance, from royal courts to poisoners who used perfume as a weapon.

The first episode is about a Hawaiian princess, the peacocks she adored, and why the most delicate flower in Hawaiian perfumery carries a bird's name.

I'll see you in the archive.

Theda Bara was the most famous movie star you’ve probably never heard of. One of the first movie stars, America’s first goth, and Hollywood’s first sex symbol, Theda Bara was the epitome of Madame Mystery. Though most of her films have been lost to time, Theda is one of the pioneers of early Hollywood.

More Halloween Episodes:

https://www.immortalperfumes.com/search?q=halloween&f_collectionId=6100b028baebd54735717656

Resources

Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara by Eve Golden: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/741931.Vamp

You Must Remember This Podcast: https://radiopublic.com/you-must-remember-this-G2wdZR/s1!b877a

The Woman with Hungry Eyes: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997110/

In a first for Storical Podcast, here is a live episode! I recently gave a lecture sharing some of the most interesting stories in perfume history. Listen to hear about perfume and poison such as Acqua Tofana, Chanel versus Schiaparelli, perfumes recovered from the Titanic, the perfume Andy Warhol was buried with, and the perfume Jude Law used to get into character to play Henry VIII. This was a wild ride, check it out!

If you’re interested in more information on the Paris perfume trip, fill out this survey to be notified when it opens for booking. Please note that Paris has already been decided on but you need to fill out the survey to be added to the list. For more history videos, check out my Youtube channel.

We all know about Eastern European vampires but did you know that right here in America we had our own vampire panic? Yup. It turns out New England was kind of a scary place the first 200 years of colonial and then American rule. Listen to today’s episode to learn about the New England Vampire Panic and Mercy Brown, the teenaged purported vampire.

Further Reading

The Great New England Vampire Panic, Smithsonian Magazine

The Last American Vampire, History

Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires by Michael E. Bell

Gilded Age New York was all about flaunting your money. And no one did it better than the first families of excess, the Astors and the Vanderbilts. Part two is all about multi-hyphenate Alva Vanderbilt. Social climber, society leader, architect, suffragette. We will also take a look at her daughter Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough. Tune in!

Photos

Vanderbilt Costume Ball of 1883:

https://www.antiquetrader.com/collecting-101/the-vanderbilt-ball-of-1883

Electric Light Dress:

https://theenchantedmanor.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Alice-Vanderbilt-dressed-as-the-Electric-Light-for-the-ball-3-26-1883.jpg

Consuelo Vanderbilt:

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/consuelo-vanderbilt-2.jpg

Nonfiction

Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt: The Story of a Daughter and a Mother in the Gilded Age by Amanda Mckenzie Stuart

Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper

Social Climber: The Iron Will and Determined Rise of Alva Vanderbilt by The Gilded Gentelman Podcast

Edith Wharton’s New York by The Bowery Boys Podcast

Fiction

The Gilded Age on HBO

The Social Graces by Renee Rosen

A Well Behaved Woman by Theresa Anne Fowler

Gilded Age New York was all about flaunting your money. And no one did it better than the first families of excess, the Astors and the Vanderbilts. Part one of a multi part series, today we’re looking at the life of Caroline Astor, the “Mystic Rose” and arbiter of taste in New York Society. You’ll want to listen to the episode to get primed on the new HBO series, The Gilded Age. Tune in!

HISTORICAL FICTION

The Social Graces by Renée Rosen

PODCASTS

The Astors and the Waldorf Astoria by The Bowery Boys

The Real Mrs. Astor, Ruler or Rebel? by The Gilded Gentleman

The Mrs. Astor by The History Chicks

NONFICTION

Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs. Astor by Greg King

When the Astors Owned New York by Justin Kaplan

This is the Storical Halloween Special. The veil is thin and the dead walk among us. Before you indulge in some tricks or treats, enjoy this episode and decide whether Lizzie Borden really took an ax to give her mother 40 whacks. Links to all sources referenced and full transcript are below!

PODCASTS

Hysterical History - Lizzie Borden Series - https://shows.acast.com/hysterical-history/episodes

Criminal Broads - Lizzie Borden LLC - https://www.stitcher.com/show/criminal-broads/episode/lizzie-borden-llc-56549642

Biographics - Lizzie Borden - https://youtu.be/xU5Hk-mFi9Y

The History Chicks - Lizzie Borden, Revisited - http://thehistorychicks.com/episode-79-lizzie-borden-revisted/

Stuff You Missed in History Class - Lizzie Borden and Her Axe - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history-cl-21124503/episode/lizzie-borden-and-her-axe-30208049/

MOVIES & TV

Lizzie (2018) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5160938/

Lizzie Borden Took an Axe (2014) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3118958/

BOOKS

Maplecroft by Cherie Priest - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/20821288