The first fabrics were printed in Jouy-en-Josas in May 1760 by Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, a German-born industrialist who established a manufacture that would define the era of toile de Jouy. Starting as an engraver and colourist, he built a massive production complex that eventually employed thousands and earned recognition from the French monarchy.
Founding the Manufactory
Born in 1738, Oberkampf moved to Paris in 1758 after working in Mulhouse. In 1759, he initiated a partnership with the Swiss to create a cotton printing facility using engraved wood boards. By 1764, the production site covered 18,000 square metres. The workforce expanded rapidly, reaching 900 employees by 1774. He gained French citizenship in 1770 and began transitioning his production methods toward mechanisation, notably replacing wooden boards with copper plates mounted on cylindrical drums.
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The scale of his operations drew attention from the French state. In 1783, King Louis XVI designated his facility a royal manufacture, and in 1787, Oberkampf was granted the title of squire and the right to use a personal crest with the motto, Recte et vigilanter. His technical output remained high; in 1785, he invented a specialized machine for printing wallpaper. By the 1790s, his company ranked as the second-largest in the kingdom, surpassed only by the mirror manufacture at Saint-Gobain.
Political Life and Final Years
Beyond his industrial work, Oberkampf served as the mayor of Jouy-en-Josas from 1790 to 1793 and acted as a Conseiller général de Seine-et-Oise. In 1806, his contributions were formally acknowledged when he received a First Class Gold Medal at the industrial fair of the Louvre and was appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honour by Napoleon. Following a decline in sales and regional instability caused by the invasion of armies united against the Emperor, the manufactory shuttered in 1815, the same year Oberkampf died.
Fast facts
- Born: 1738, Blaufelden
- Died: 1815, Jouy-en-Josas
- Citizenship: France and Principality of Ansbach
- Key Roles: Businessperson, politician, entrepreneur
- Key Decoration: Officer of the Legion of Honour (1806)
- Industrial Contribution: Toile de Jouy manufacture
- Political Office: Mayor of Jouy-en-Josas (1790-1793)
- Burial Location: Jouy-en-Josas
Questions readers ask
What product is Oberkampf most associated with?
He is famous for establishing the manufacture in Jouy-en-Josas where the toile de Jouy fabric was produced.
What happened to the manufactory after he died?
His son Emile initially took over, followed by Jacques-Juste Barbet de Jouy in 1822; the company eventually went bankrupt in 1843.
Achievements
- Officer of the Legion of Honour — 1806
- First Class Gold Medal — 1806
- Holdings: Oberkampf Manufactory and Château du Montcel
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