Sir Galahad, launched by Isabey in 1924, was an imaginative and richly symbolic fragrance that drew from the mythic and romantic imagery of Arthurian legend. The name Sir Galahad (pronounced: Sur GAL-uh-had) refers to the legendary knight of the Round Table, revered for his purity, nobility, and spiritual quest for the Holy Grail. Though naming a women’s perfume after a chivalric male figure may seem unusual at first glance, it was a clever and evocative choice. During the 1920s, themes of romance, exoticism, and medievalism were experiencing a revival in both the visual and literary arts, and perfumery followed suit. This name aligned perfectly with the era’s fascination with symbolic masculinity, gallantry, and fantasy.
Sir Galahad, in Arthurian lore, is the son of Sir Lancelot and one of the few knights pure enough to be granted a vision of the Holy Grail. He symbolizes a kind of elevated, untouchable love and incorruptible virtue. For women of the 1920s—newly liberated, fashion-forward, and exploring independence after World War I—the idea of embodying or being pursued by a Sir Galahad was deeply appealing. The name evoked a romantic ideal: a fragrant talisman of nobility, mystery, and spiritual yearning. Isabey likely chose it as a sophisticated counter to Ciro’s popular 1923 perfume Chevalier de la Nuit (“Knight of the Night”), also an oriental scent cloaked in courtly fantasy.
